It was World Sleep Day on Friday, not that it meant I got more than my usual six hours.
The annual celebration of sleep was pushed down the priority list in favour of Sport Relief and Friday the 13th silliness.
For years I’ve been burning the candle at both ends – up early for work, rushing back to be a mum and then staring at The Crown and Instagram until 2am.
We are all looking for a magic potion that gives us a glow, gets rid of bags, helps us lose weight, think clearly and be happy.
We’d spend our cash on a tonic that would do that in a heartbeat.
But sleep offers all that. For free. The benefits are endless and more important than ever to boost our immunity and fight coronavirus.
Everyone on the planet is tired – apart from my kids when they want to stay up and watch Saturday Night Takeaway.
But some can’t get a good night’s rest, even when they try.
This week, it was revealed that people with obstructive sleep apnoea are having to wait up two years for treatment.
About two million people have this condition, where they temporarily stop breathing at night, sometimes hundreds of times, then snore like a train and drive partners mad.
But sleep services are at breaking point because it is way down the list of NHS priorities.
Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and author of Why We Sleep, warns that not getting a proper rest puts us at higher risk of disease and cancer and affects our fertility.
It leads to a spike in toxic protein in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease, too.
It is when we are in proper deep sleep that a brain sewage system kicks in to wash away these nasties.
In spring, when we lose an hour of sleep, the US sees a 24 per cent increase in heart attacks the following day.
But we still starve ourselves of shuteye to squeeze in another episode of a show we’ll forget.
It’s enough to keep you up at night. Only please don’t let it.
