Sleep that knits the ravelled sleeve of care.

O ne of the eight blessings mentioned in Buddhist teachings is the ability to enjoy good quality sleep. Any of us who has spent a night tossing and turning will attest to that truth, but it is interesting that a philosophy that stresses the importance of 'waking up' should also sing the virtues of sleep. Perhaps the two are intimately related? Being awake or 'watchful' is obviously vital in order to remain free of mental impediments with all the anxieties, depression, anger and incongruent action they bring. One can readily see the importance of wakefulness emphasised in philosophical and theological works such as the allegories used in the Christian teachings where a person must remain 'strong' (reason) and 'awake' (awareness) to 'guard' their 'house' (mind) from being ransacked by 'thieves'. Shakespeare, too, had Hamlet murdered by having poison poured into his ear while he slept. It might seem like just a good plot for a play, but when we consider the noxious thoughts we inadvertently listen to, it is far more likely that Shakespeare used these theatrical images in an allegorical and not just literal sense. According to Macbeth, such anxieties can literally 'murder sleep', whereas the sleep of a well guarded mind can 'knit the ravelled sleeve of care'. How we use the mind during the day has a profound effect upon what happens at night and how we wake up in the morning. How often do we notice that we awaken to feel like we have had little or no rest at all? Although we were all born 'sleeping like babies', as time goes on good quality sleep on a regular basis is not that common. Studies put the level of sleep disturbance in the elderly at 74% for men and 79% for women. 1 Obviously this figure will be contributed to by factors such as pain or other medical conditions and not just worries. Quality sleep is vitally important to our mental and physical health. It is a common assumption that sleep disturbance is secondary to mood disturbance, but much of the time it may be the other way around. Poor sleep is a major etio-logical factor in mood disorders. 2,3 Up to 70% of people with depression may resolve or significantly improve their depression by undertaking sleep strategies. 4 There are, of course, strong links between sleep, mood and anxiety states. Low mood and anxiety produce …