Boris, Asleep On The Job?

Recent newspaper reports, denied by Downing Street, suggest our Prime Minister is prone to afternoon naps. Fair play to him, even though his spinners felt the need to deny it. The story caused much discussion about whether Boris was catnapping when he should have been at his desk, but it missed a significant point: Britain needs a national sleep strategy.

Sleep is medicine

I really want to meet Matthew Walker, author of “Why we sleep”. Matthew’s work taught me that adults ages over 45 who regularly sleep less than six hours a night are two hundred per cent more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those of us getting seven or eight hours. Good sleep brings down your blood pressure. Insufficient sleep increases insulin resistance.

Sleep is the foundation of good health

People often talk about the four pillars of health: nutrition, exercise, wellbeing, sleep. When I was 22 stones and walking around Kennington park at dawn, I visualise four pillars in my head. I’d quite often write down those four headings in my scribble pad to lay out what I’d done to advance myself in those categories. Over time I realised that I had more bad days after late nights. I started to keep a note of my sleep times. Then, getting obsessional, I bought an Oura sleep ring. It’s then that I realised that if I go to bed after drinking more than two glasses of wine, my sleeping heart rate is eight beats per minute higher for the whole of the night! It didn’t stop me drinking, but it impacted on the frequency.

Are you trying to lose weight?

Sleep deprivation increases hunger signalling hormone, Grehlin. Sleep deprivation decreases satiety signalling hormone, Leptin.

Cancer?

Several epidemiological studies have reported that disrupted sleep increases the chance of developing some cancers, including breast, prostate, endometrium and colon.

As a nation, we’re sleep-deprived

In the 1940s, about one in 12 people tried to survive on six hours sleep or less. Today, that’s more like half the population. Shift working, noise pollution, electronic devices bringing work and light into the bedroom have all contributed. All those commuters getting up at 5 am for two-hour journeys into work? They’re sleep-deprived.

Half the nation sleep-deprived, and we KNOW that this leads to an increase in the likelihood of heart attacks, strokes, blood glucose control and some cancers. That’s before we get to mental health and dementia.

Covid?

I’ve not seen any studies to suggest that adequate sleep increases our resilience to viruses like Covid, but I wouldn’t bet that there isn’t a link either, given what we know.

A national sleep strategy

The weight of evidence is so immense, so thoroughly researched, that I think that National Sleep Deprivation is a Cabinet-level matter. It’s not just an NHS issue, and it’s a productivity issue. And there’s a colossal taxpayer interest.

Britain needs a National Sleep Strategy. If Matthew Hancock or Boris Johnson wants one, I’ll co-ordinate if for them, gratis.