BSIP SA/Alamy
Clive Tiney
York, UK
Presumably, when our ancestors lived in trees, there was a distinct evolutionary advantage in not falling out of bed, a selection process that still goes on for arboreal apes and monkeys now.
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Once we started sleeping on the ground, and now in beds, there was less reason not to fall out since the damage done isn’t that great, but the instinct probably still remains even if it is diluting with time and passing generations.
Cots and bed guards for young children may also provide training for them to remain within the designated space, helping to restrict our sleep movements in the process.
Evan Bayton
Moore, Cheshire, UK
The one time I recall falling out of bed as an adult was when I was in a hospital in Blackpool. At about 8:10 am, I found myself on the floor.
I switched on the radio in time to hear the presenter say: “We are just getting word of an earthquake off the Fylde.”
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