SLEEP: PLEASURE, GUILT AND SURVIVAL

I wake up in the morning around half past six. By wake up actually I mean just open my eyes and see the time on the wall clock which is very strategically hung on the wall.   Usually I feel like closing my eyes again and continue with the sleep. Most of the time I let myself do it and then get up after an hour or two. Now that I am retired getting up this late does not cause any problem but when I was working it did. I hated to get up at seven but I hated more being late for work.

        Once I am out of bed I feel ok and ready to tackle the day. It is just willing myself to get out of the duvet is the difficult bit. Some people are up and about by six or even five in the morning, not by compulsion but by choice or even inclination. Sleeping in a warm, comfortable bed under a soft duvet is so blissful. Why would anyone get out of it without a threat, I cannot fathom.

To get out of the bed I need to bribe my brain; promise a reward, give an incentive or sometimes even threaten it with cold water or fire alarm. When I was working the incentive was not to be late for work. Nowadays I dangle a big carrot: promise for a freshly brewed cup of Darjeeling tea. The moment I open my eyes in the bed I just conjure up the aroma of the tea and imagine the feel of the warm cup in my hands. This works a treat. I am up and in the kitchen in no time.

       Sleep is absolutely necessary for survival of the species. If our hunter/gatherer ancestors did not sleep well, they would not feel fresh and not be alert in the morning.  They would have been gobbled up by the predators they had all around them.   No further propagation of Homo sapiens! No me or you. This in fact is true for every animal species. Those who did not sleep well were gradually eliminated from the gene pool.

      To make sure of the continued existence of species, any action that is vital for survival gradually gets hard wired in our brain to be intensely and immensely pleasurable. This happens over thousands of years by natural selection.

          No wonder why it is difficult to abandon the sleep. I can put all the blame on Charles Darwin. I certainly feel less guilty now.

Disclaimer: Only part of the discussion is scientifically proven.