by The older I get, the more I love my bed. It’s not unusual to find me propped up against the pillows at 8.30pm, ready to decompress and tuck in for the night. My late mother’s words are ringing in my head: “You’ll be desperate to get into your bed one day!” She was right. I am.
So I was nothing less than intrigued when I read recently that the actor Dakota Johnson likes to sleep up to 14 hours a night. She says sleep is her top priority and gives her greater clarity in life. She also participates in transcendental meditation and enjoys a bath at any time of the day – this woman knows a thing or two about keeping things cool.
And I was always in awe of my teenage self’s ability to stay in bed for too long. It amazes me that they can stay together with dogs barking, postmen ringing the doorbell, my husband realizing he’s lost his keys and a fire engine whizzing past their window, mad crying.
Like many of us, I have a complicated relationship with sleep. Although I love to get in bed, I wouldn’t say I always have a full night, so when I decided to try staying horizontal longer than my usual closed eye, I immediately felt the pressure of the challenge, which – guess what – kept. I woke up. Normally, I can get up eight or nine hours, with the occasional intermission for a little while, but it seemed impossible to sleep.
Professor of circadian neuroscience at the University of Oxford, Russell Foster, says: “The National Sleep Foundation says the healthy range of sleep is between six and 10.5 hours a night; seven to eight hours on average but one size does not fit all. We humans are variable creatures so it is up to the individual to decide how much he/she needs to perform well.
“Some indicators that something is wrong could be if you need an alarm clock to wake you up, or if you sleep a lot on days off, or if you crave caffeinated drinks, or if you feel tired and greasy during the day, or if you find yourself doing more than impulsive things… then you probably need more rest. But if you’re doing okay for less than average, that’s okay.”
Foster also points out that there is a big difference between sleepiness and fatigue. “Drowsiness is cured by getting enough sleep,” he says. “Fatigue is when a person feels very tired, lack of motivation, even depression. This can indicate an underlying health issue – the classic one these days is prolonged Covid. If you suddenly find you’re sleeping a lot more, it’s worth getting a health check.”
In his book Why We Coverneurologist Matthew Walker informs us that teenagers have a significant change in circadian rhythm, which means that the increase in melatonin (the hormone that helps us sleep) moves to many hours later.
“As a result, the 16-year-old will usually have no interest in sleeping at 9pm,” he explains. “Instead, a peak watch is usually still in place at that time. By the time the parents are getting tired, as their circadian rhythms slow down and the release of melatonin dictates sleep – perhaps around 10 or 11pm – their teenager can still be wide awake. “
So, it’s not that teenagers don’t have the ability to sleep forever, they’re more likely to be night owls, throwing in the towel in the end when I was already in bed. News at Ten.
No wonder they can doze until lunchtime. However, Foster says that some adults can sleep for very long periods. It’s just the way they are wired.
“Sleep is initiated when the brain is exposed to the molecule, adenosine. If a person has receptors sensitive to adenosine, they are likely to sleep longer.
“Unfortunately, you can’t train yourself to sleep more than you normally would because there are two main drivers that affect this: your own biological clock, and your intuitive approach to sleep – which basically means, the longer you are awake, the greater the need for sleep.”
Age also has some relevance. Again, while everyone has their own patterns, older adults are more likely to experience fragmented sleep quality and quantity. Medications and illnesses play a role but for most of us, the culprit is a weak bladder. I can relate to that. The best thing I ever did was to install an ensuite bathroom in my house.
Walker says that circadian timing influences how sleep changes with age: “In sharp contrast to teenagers, older people tend to have a regression in sleep time, resulting in earlier and earlier bedtimes. The reason is the earlier evening release and peak of melatonin as we age, which instructs us to start sleep earlier.”
That’s fine unless, like me, you want to go to the cinema or a concert screaming before the halfway point. And heaven forbid if I have more than a glass of wine with my evening meal. I’m dozing on the sofa or, more frighteningly, in the bath. My husband has often been known to bang loudly on the bathroom door and shout: “You wake up there?!”
Foster confirms that “sleep anxiety” is a well-known condition, with millions of people worrying about whether they’re getting enough. His wise advice is to stop worrying.
Waking up at night is normal, but the most important thing is to help yourself get back to sleep, so a relaxing environment and tools like mindfulness are useful.
Foster adds, “Light and exercise are beneficial for better sleep, especially in the morning, and there’s some interesting data to suggest that dog owners sleep better. It’s about the companionship dogs give us and being out with them every day.”
So, if I want to sleep like Dakota Johnson, or even a teenager, maybe I need to walk my dogs more, have lots of baths (but not sleep in them), meditate, or nothing to drink after 6pm so I can’t. little at 2am, avoid being anxious or sick, and maybe fun Call of duty on the Xbox late at night so I snored until noon. It all sounds suitably exhausting.
