From MARIE-ANNE CODY
I very much enjoyed the Inside Science article ‘All in a night’s sleep’
(7 July). I was struck by some pieces of information which, when juxtaposed,
throw an alarming spotlight on the political future of Britain: ‘Our brains
require a minimum ration of fantasy dreams each day’ which ‘serves a function
in keeping us sane.’ We get the ration either in rapid eye-movement (REM)
sleep or in daytime fantasising.
‘REM sleep is only a quarter of the total sleep in adults.’
‘An average adult has eight hours sleep.’
‘Mrs Thatcher seems to need little more than four hours.’
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One might suppose that Mrs Thatcher, who has half as much REM sleep
as a normal adult, either makes up the minimum ration by daytime fantasising,
or does not make it up at all. So she spends her working life in a state
of fantasy or insanity.
Marie-Anne Cody London
