Wednesday, October 14, 2009

SLEEPING BEAUTY

I am a person who needs a lot of sleep. At least eight hours of sleep per day and I'll be able to perform my daily tasks well (most of the time but not all the time). Less than that and I'll be bitchy, moody and groggy. Well, I'm always bitchy, moody and groggy anyway. More than that and I'll be as happy as a lark. I used to feel really guilty about my sleeping habit since I know a lot of people who don't sleep as much as I do but can still get up feeling fresh and rejuvenated. No more of that guilty feeling! Thanks to Ying-Hui Fu, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco who conducted a study and says that some people simply have shorter sleep requirements. It seems that I am not genetically programmed to have that kind of sleep. Now, I can blame my genes (or should I thank them?) for not providing me with whatever that I need for shorter sleeping periods. I can sleep almost anywhere and anytime actually. I don't even need a proper bed to sleep. Just make sure the lights are low and the weather is cool and I will soon be off to Dreamland. I've been known to sleep through long, boring and meaningless meetings and short, interesting and important ones too! To me, sleeping is almost like an escapism. It is akin to reading a wonderful fairytale where you'll be on the adventure trail with fairies, goblins, princess, princesses, dragons et cetera et cetera et cetera. It soothes the aching body, heals the wounded soul and feeds the imagination. A good night sleep can do a lot of wonders for a person and a siesta doesn't hurt either. In fact, afternoon naps can be quite rejuvenating especially on a hot day when the wind doesn't blow and the world is just too much to take.

p/s Don't ask whether I snore or not during my sleep but I've been told that I am a restless sleeper.