Sunday, 22nd February, 2026
These days, I tend to go to bed before midnight but wake before 5.00 am. I have never slept particularly long. It has always seemed a waste of time. We only have so much time in our lives and to spend 30% of it comatose in darkness seems excessive although it has always fascinated me that all humans go into a darkened room and suspend consciousness every day. Throughout my working life, I never managed more than about 6 hrs a night which the NHS recommendations suggest isn’t enough although that has been challenged recently.
NHS Recommended Sleep Duration by Age
- Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
- Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours (including naps)
- Toddlers (1–2 years): 11–14 hours (including naps)
- Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours (including naps)
- School age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
- Teenagers (13–18 years): 8–10 hours
- Adults (18+): 7–9 hours
As a child, I was forced to spend a lot longer in bed than I would choose myself. Let loose, I found I was not an owl or a lark but bird of both. I love early mornings and I love late nights. It’s the middle bit that gets me.
We are told that we need sleep for optimal physical health, mental restoration, and cognitive function. Sleep is essential for immune system support, tissue repair, and hormone regulation. Chronic sleep deprivation increases risks for heart disease, diabetes.
You have gone through life in sleep,
Never woken to the nightmare.
I tell you, life would be unendurable
If you were wide awake.T. S. Eliot’s The Family Reunion
People do report going to sleep with a problem in their head and waking up with the solution and I have known that. Unfortunately, the unsolved problem can often delay sleep altogether. Older adults often sleep less or have more disrupted sleep due to aging but you only have to visit a Care Home and particularly one for Dementia and you will see residents asleep for long periods in chairs around the Lounge.
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
……
You have gone through life in sleep,
Never woken to the nightmare.
I tell you, life would be unendurable
If you were wide awake.When You Are Old by William Butler Yeats
We should all be resisting the gradual drift into inaction and revery. Nodding by the fire is my nightmare. I regularly cite my friend, John Ridley, when I talk to people about this. He is constantly active and contributing to the world be it in terms of Education and Culture as well as personal travel. As he takes his next guided tour of Fountains Abbey I am so admiring of his energy and commitment.
Monday, 23rd February, 2026