political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Friday, October 12, 2007
And so to Sleep
Very exciting. I went out and bought a new bed this afternoon, and decided to splash out on one that is seven feet long. Being 6' 2" tall I am fed up with sleeping in beds where my feet hang out the end. I've never understood people who deliberately buy cheap beds. After all, normal people spend a third of their lives in bed. Mostly asleep... I've noticed that as I get older I can survive on less sleep. I used to need a full eight hours but nowadays I seem to be able to survive quite happily on five or six. Am I alone in this?
No, It isn't that I'm not tired, it's that I feel as if I'm missing something.
ReplyDeleteAh, but Mrs T survived perfectly well on four hours . . .
ReplyDeleteIain, will you be participating in Blog Action Day? Over 10,000 bloggers will be writing on one topic; the environment. http://www.blogactionday.org
ReplyDeleteI dont think Gordo will have been getting too much sleep, and look at him!
ReplyDeleteIt rather depends on what the alternative is.
ReplyDeleteNo - you're just sleeping or slowing down during the day
ReplyDeletefreddie, - Are you daft? The environment! Do you know where you are?
ReplyDeleteif you don't drink to excess or stay up all night blogging (surely bonking?) and are reasonable in the eating of French cheese then the latest scientific evidence suggests that 6 hours a night are more than sufficient.
ReplyDeleteI hope those ten thousand bloggers are writing short articles - think of the environment!
ReplyDeleteSurely not holding this Blog action day will cut down on the dreaded CO2 emissions:)
Sleep deprivation can have all sorts of negative effects. I've found that sometimes sufferers are just 'not with it' or grumpy. So I think it important to have a good bed that's comfortable. Of course if you then grow your own children they take possesion of it. It doesn't seem to matter how big it is - you end up sleeping on the last 4" of the mattress. Without the duvet.
ReplyDeleteVerity, I urge you to participate!
ReplyDeleteMany people buy cheap beds because they cannot afford anything better. What next are you going to be having a go at people who buy cheap cars; because you buy audis?
ReplyDeleteI tend to wake up earlier in the morning the older I become. I fear it's my subconsience telling me "not much time left in life- don't miss any of it"
ReplyDeleteStudents need at least 10 hours sleep a night! and preferably an afternoon nap!
ReplyDeleteI hope it gets better and not worse!!
Sleep is for wimps.
ReplyDeleteYou have probably been sleeping on an unsuitabe bed, especially if your feet stick out the bottom. Hope you tried the new one before you made the purchase. Keep us updated if your sleep pattern changes
ReplyDeleteIain, here's an idea. Your open thread while you were away (as you increasingly are) the other day was quite good fun. How about allowing open slather (including swearing?) on a (weekly?) open thread? Suggest a topic (or not) and let your pajama wearing bloggites go for it.
ReplyDeleteSweet dreams err our umm 6'2" prince etc.
"deliberately buy cheap beds"? You mean you can do it by accident as well?
ReplyDeleteIt's probably because your life is more hectic and your body clock automatically kicks in earlier
ReplyDeleteWhen you are the top conservative in the media limelight other than Cameron it is not surprising you are only getting five hours sleep. Where the F... are the members of the shadow cabinet and tory PPCs, in the media. Everytime I put the TV on you are there banging the drum for Cameron.
ReplyDeleteTop Tory Media Tart after Cameron and one of the top thousand influential Londoners-- Wow and only five hours sleep.
No, quite the opposite. I find that I need more and more sleep as the years roll on. Soon I will only be awake for a few hours a day. Enjoy the bed!
ReplyDelete"I've grown accustomed to the smooth ride, or maybe I'm a dog that lost its bite. I don't expect to be treated like a fool no more, I don't expect to sleep all night." Paul Simon, The Obvious Child.
ReplyDeleteMind you, he didn't have Gordon Brown to contend with.
Well, after sleeping on the left side of the bed for 12 years, Mrs Weasel started making rumblings about "being on the wrong side" all this time.
ReplyDeleteI generously elected to experiment with a swop of sides. It lasted about two days before Mrs Weasel said she "wasn't sure" and finally, "can we change back? Personally, and between you and me, I prefer to sleep alone. That way I can dribble, fart, snort and thrash about without let or hindrance.
The nicest bed I ever had was on a mattress of goose feathers. It was above a cow shed at the foot of the Dents du Midi.
"Am I alone in this?"
ReplyDeleteIain, that is for YOU to tell us !
Alan Douglas
I would expect that having splashed out on the seven foot bed, you were then obliged to buy it?
ReplyDeleteI reckon older people, such as yourself Iain, need less sleep then young ones, such as I, because you’re closer to the grave and want to enjoy every moment you have left :-)
ReplyDeleteI am a 45 year old man and for the last 5 years, I have not slept a full nights sleep. Now I lay awake for hours in the middle of the night just worrying that I am not asleep. I recently found out that a friend of mine (who is 50) also has the same problem. Our respective wives are oblivious to our suffering.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of starting some sort of insomniacs blog so that all the men out there who are just laying in bed awake have an excuse to get up and come downstairs for a few hours until they feel tired.
Sleepless....
ReplyDeleteGet some 3mg melatonin and use that. Try 3mg and, if not, take two, for 6mg.
I've got a number of bizzarre endocrine problems and the melatonin more than made up for whatever's wrong with my pituitary.
It's the natural hormone you should have in the body, anyway.
It's freely on sale in the US, but not the UK.
Also....Have you been putting on weight? Slow and sluggish these days?
Go private and have your testosterone levels checked. Could be related to falling testo levels, though it's a bit of a long shot.
Nope. Late 20's, never more than 5 hrs a night.
ReplyDeleteAll part of the perceived "value for money" culture. In fact, in many cases the opposite applies.
ReplyDeleteIain, you are quite right about beds. Skimping on a bed purchase is ridiculous.
Iain: lots of people wonder how you sleep.
ReplyDeleteIain,
ReplyDeleteI feel I need to point out that lack of sleep is not something to boast about. After the age of 40, the human nervous system begins to die (slowly). Lack of sleep simply means that you are not refreshing your cells overnight. Start taking some regular exercise, join a gym, start swimming etc. etc. and start boasting about how you are sleeping for more than 8 hours night. End of lecture....
Well known phenomenon. Sleeping less. Except my dad.
ReplyDeleteAnd Iain just a few extra inches will not be enough. It needs to be a good two feet to solve your problem.
No you're just used to be tired after having the kids. Remember to get a middle-to-softer bed - best advice I was given was that people only take hard matresses back to the shop.
ReplyDeleteIain - I think you are morphing into Baroness T. She survived on 4hrs sleep per night and castigated those who slept longer !
ReplyDeleteWell? How did you sleep, Iain? In my experience, you can't beat a futon for a good night's sleep. And you never get back ache.
ReplyDeleteVerity, believe it or not I had 9 hours last night. Didn't get up till 12. Lazy bugger.
ReplyDeleteAnd just think! Your ankles were supported all night!
ReplyDeleteSdaly not. The bed doesn;t arrive for 4-6 weeks.
ReplyDeleteHow strange! My comment to which you were responding didn't get posted!
ReplyDeleteJust make sure that the maker's name is checked. Procrustes & Co Ltd is to be avoided...
ReplyDeletethis topic is SAD
ReplyDeleteWent to sleep at 11.00pm, wide awake 10 mins ago: 4.00pm, 5 years older than you. Perfectly normal, I hope!
ReplyDeleteWorried about England versus SA next Saturday, but that's not why I woke up. There's not a lot of hope for us and the South Africans (of whom there are thousands in this neck of the woods - rats/ship etc.) are worse than the Kiwis, and us, when it comes to gloating over a win.
I couldn't help but notice that You referred to a Futon. If You're looking for a good deal on a Futon Cover, try:
ReplyDeletehttp://covers4less.com