Sleep

What's your sleep setup? Just how do you sleep? How much does it matter to you? How did you sleep when you were a child?

I think our sleep history has a lot to do with our sleep needs now.

Since I was born, until the age of ten, I slept in a room with an air conditioner with the heavy curtains drawn. I heard nothing except for the changing hum of the air conditioner. It was exceedingly comforting.

Then I had a brief (5-year) interlude at British boarding school. We were forced out of bed at 7 for cold showers but I won't dwell on that.

In Zaire, Africa, us kids painted our windows black from inside and slept with the air conditioner going full blast.

In Dakar, Senegal, we had metal shutters on the windows and we slept with them shut every night with the air conditioner going full blast. The king waterbed helped.

Here in Montreal I have blackout blinds which can keep the bedroom as dark as a coffin at high noon. No air conditioner in winter, but ear plugs keep out the relentless traffic.

Toss in a few nice dreams of beaches, and I can sleep all day. Which I think I will. Good day.