In between all these periods of action are equally important periods of inaction, when characters become enlightened as they rest. They all wake up hearing a voice which prevents them from being killed by Native Americans. And Gunnar wakes up knowing that he is being ambushed and he is able to fight his way out of it. In both these instances, the characters live to see another page because of what they learn through their sleep. In the Bible, Jacob realizes through his sleep that he has found the house of God, and he goes on to have the nation of Israel named after him.
Sleep plays an important role for some unclear reason.
A reasonable explanation might be that in these cultures sleep is a method of gaining valuable insights. Sleep is especially useful in gaining insights if there are people who are capable of interpreting dreams. She uses dreams to choose her husband, and she also utilizes them to predict a famine. In the Bible, Jacob's son also has this power. Joseph also uses his ability to predict a famine, and the Egyptians prepare for the disastrous seven years by storing grain from seven good years of harvest.