Timetank – The Mutewatch Blog

The purpose of sleep? No one knows. Whether the reason for sleep is to let our brains and bodies recharge, or to take care of our memory, we’ve all suffered the repercussions of not getting enough of it (missed appointments, impaired cognition,mistaking one’s soap for toothpaste) – unless you happen to have that rare genetic mutation that lets you get by with only six hours in which case I am a bit jealous of you.

Three crucial elements need to be in place to ensure I get the seven to eight hours of sleep I need nightly:

A harmonious environment - everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a comfortable bedroom. For me, it’s warmth. If a room is cold then I can’t relax. Warmth is crucial to me so I sleep with some form of blanket regardless of whether I’m in a tropical climate or a subarctic one. A plan or a to-do list for the next day – usually jotted down in my notebook or on tiny post-its stuck to my computer screen. The length of -and amount of time invested in each plan or list is in direct correlation to how worried I am about next day’s important tasks. Some nights it is particularly good if I spend about half an hour writing out a kind of plan before sleeping. Two alarms -one alarm with the time set to run 6 minutes ahead and another “just in case” alarm on my mobile, for if the power shuts off or something.

Sweet dreams,

Désirée

If you find the photo above as stunning as I do, check out more of Spanish photographer Luis Beltran’s surreal images at www.luisbeltran.es.