Why We’re Exhausted: Ken Wytsma on Sleep, Stress, and Human Flourishing

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

Our culture wears exhaustion like a badge of honor. But what if our constant striving, stress, scrolling, and overwork are actually disconnecting us from the way God designed us to live?

In this thoughtful and deeply practical episode of the Live Faith First Podcast, Elliot Sands sits down with author, speaker, and justice advocate Ken Wytsma to discuss his book, The Sleep You’re Longing For.

This isn’t just a conversation about getting better rest. It’s a conversation about being human.

Ken explores the “elemental” nature of sleep — why it’s as fundamental as air, water, and food — and how our modern culture has drifted far from healthy rhythms of work, rest, peace, and trust in God.

Together they discuss:

• Why sleep is essential for emotional and spiritual health
• The hidden effects of stress and overstimulation
• Anxiety, social media, and the “Anxious Generation”
• Trauma, nervous systems, and what happens while we sleep
• Why “trying harder” often makes sleep worse
• Practical ways to improve sleep with grace instead of pressure

If you’ve struggled with insomnia, stress, burnout, or simply feeling emotionally exhausted, this conversation offers both wisdom and hope.

Ken Wytsma is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and justice advocate passionate about helping people live integrated, thoughtful, and spiritually grounded lives. Born in Maine to a Dutch immigrant father who grew up in Nazi-occupied Holland, Ken spent portions of his childhood in both the United States and the Netherlands, developing a lifelong love of history, culture, and theology.

Ken is the author of several books including:

• The Sleep You’re Longing For
• Pursuing Justice
• The Myth of Equality
• Create vs. Copy

He is the founder of the justice conference movement and has spent years working at the intersection of faith, culture, leadership, and human flourishing. Ken lives in Oregon with his wife and family.

Connect with Ken Wytsma

• Link
• Instagram
• Facebook

Elliot Sands is the host of the Live Faith First podcast—a dynamic space where faith meets real-world challenges. With a rich background as a pastor, school principal, health-tech co-founder, and now Executive Director of Faith First, Elliot brings deep wisdom and practical insight to every conversation.  As a husband, father, and grandfather, he weaves personal experience with thoughtful discussion, tackling tough topics with clarity and compassion. Live Faith First is all about bridging divides—whether in society or the church—encouraging listeners to step beyond echo chambers and build real, meaningful relationships across the aisle, the street, or the table.