My problem is that the moment my head touches the pillow, I fall asleep. Instantly, that is. There is no tossing, turning, adjusting the duvet, or counting of sheep. Also, I don’t need to burn scented candles, listen to hypnotic music or make sure that there is not a single sliver of light entering from under the blackout curtains. None of it is of any concern because, like I said, the moment my head rests on a pillow, I crash out.
“So, why is that a problem?” you ask. Well, for the sound-sleeper (me, in this particular case), it is a blessing, but for all the problem-sleepers I have been unlucky enough to know, it is a very big cause of envy.
The reason for this is that most of these people – which includes my family members, friends as well as acquaintances – cannot go to sleep as easily as I do.
They try very hard, there is no doubt about that, but somehow their share of ‘forty winks’ evades them. Night after night after night!
I had no idea it was so difficult for folks to fall asleep and assumed that if anyone was lying in bed for nine hours, they must be sleeping for that length of time. Right? However, I was very surprised to learn that a lot of them actually slept for a fraction of that period, spending the rest of the night, well, waiting for slumber.
Last month, one couple (who were poor sleepers) came to visit me and I discovered brand new methods of sleep enhancement. Coffee or tea after six in the evening was to be avoided as these were stimulants that interfered with the nervous system and kept them awake. Ditto for alcoholic drinks and spicy food.
The air conditioner in the bedroom was programmed to be neither hot nor cold – and each person had brought their own set of feather pillows that they unpacked from their suitcases. Cashmere socks and eye masks were individually carried also and, in the evening, the minute the clock struck 10, they were to turn in.
To alter their bedtime was simply sacrilegious and I was told to walk softly in the corridor so that the creaking of my footsteps would not disturb them.
They worked very hard in the city, they told me. They needed to recover from their sleep deprivation and recharge their batteries, they said. They would wakeup on their own the next morning, they said. I must not worry if they surfaced late and overslept, they said.
I regaled them with the story of one Dr. Seth Roberts, who worked in a sleep clinic. He discovered that the days he was out and about, meeting people, teaching class, and so on, he slept very well, but when he was home alone on the computer, he slept badly. He attributed this to our biology and the fact that when we lived in tribes, there was a lot of social interaction, which induced good sleep.
My guests heard me out politely before wishing me a firm goodnight.
“Good morning”, I called out the next day.
Two pairs of bleary eyes looked at me.
“Slept well?” I asked.
“Tossed and turned”, the woman said.
“Counted sheep”, the man confessed.
“Waited for slumber”, the woman said.
“You waited too?” the man asked.
“In my case”, I said.
Two pairs of eyes focussed on me …
“Slumber waited for me”, I confided.
By Nickunj Malik
|| features@portugalresident.com
Nickunj Malik’s journalistic career began when she walked into the office of Khaleej Times newspaper in Dubai thirty-one years ago and got the job. Since then, her articles have appeared in various newspapers all over the world. She now resides in Portugal and is married to a banker who loves numbers more than words.
