We say: ”I will go to sleep” or to children: ”Go to sleep” as if this state is under our control, but sleep cannot be arranged at our convenience. Sleep cannot be willed, it just occurs. It is a physiological response to a need for rest. As you may well agree, willing yourself to sleep is ineffective – it happens when it happens. There is much discussion and anxiety about the need for regular sleep, about how it should last for 8 hours, and how it should coincide with our body clock. Many force sleep using chemicals. We hate for something so important to our existence and health to be out of our control.

Perhaps there is need for a new attitude to sleep. It is only another of our animal features, like keeping a normal body temperature, like breathing and hunger. But, as with so many other aspects of human existence, we yearn to be in charge. For example, we believe we need laxatives to ‘keep regular’, must use soap and moisturisers to protect the skin, take vitamins to live longer, and so on. However, many of our animal activities are not controllable: we breath, our hearts keep pumping, our body temperature is carefully monitored and controlled, hair keeps growing, skin cells are replaced and food is digested, all without conscious effort by us. Sleep is no different.

The most one can do to encourage sleep is to empty the mind of conscious thoughts – especially those concerning the need to sleep! A comfortable bed, a dark room and a lack of intrusive noise are all conducive to sleep, and avoiding thoughts about why it is not happening. Then just turn off that pesky human brain and become a tired animal.