Counting the hours until dawn

I am just back from three days away in the great outdoors. It is not surprising I slept like a log. I had no internet so my phone was redundant. My mind was focused on the here and now, I had no pressing concerns. I ate well and drank very little alcohol. After a day of fresh air and exercise including a ‘bracing’ swim in Loch Coruisk, it was bliss to settle down in a comfortable bed and conk out. I woke at my usual time, refreshed and looking forward to the day ahead.

As I have grown older my sleep pattern has grown more irregular. As a young man I desperately needed a good eight hours in my bed but gradually,  after years of disturbed nights on call, bringing up a young family and the occasional troubling brush with ill-health I had no option but to manage on less and now seven hours is more than enough.

I rarely sleep right through, and that is usually okay. I have come to accept that often I’ll be awake in the wee small hours rehearsing the day to come or thinking over difficult issues. In fact, some of my brightest ideas have come to me then.

Many of my patients have a different experience. Being awake through the night is a frequent cause of misery.