Amazing things get done between 2 and 4 in the morning

CLIPPINGS FILE (COLUMN) — First published in The Kamloops Daily News on March 19, 2011.

By MEL ROTHENBURGER

I once wrote a hit song in my sleep. Mostly in my sleep, anyway. I figure I was about 51 per cent dead to the world at the time; the rest of me was wide awake.

It was a great song. Nice tune, catchy lyrics.

I do some of my best work between 2 and 4 a.m. A lot of problems get solved around then. It’s also when I remember things I should have done, like paying bills.

Friday was World Sleep Day. Premier Christy Clark should keep it in mind when considering new statutory holidays.

At Thompson Rivers University, they’re holding the second annual Sleep Conference through tomorrow. I hear it’s a real yawner.

Les Matthews, an associate professor of Respiratory Therapy at TRU, says a third of adults suffer from clinically recognizable insomnia.

As we get older, we sleep less. It used to be thought that we just didn’t need as much sleep, but lately the scientists have been telling us it’s not that we don’t need it, it’s that our sleep patterns start going screwy.

I’m fascinated by the upsurge in mental acuity that occurs during middle-of-the-night sessions when I hang on the edge of snooze mode.

A lot of people get out of bed and raid the fridge or move onto the couch with a warm blankey and a good book and wait for sleep to arrive.

I’m a believer in staying in the sack and toughing it out. That’s the only way to take full advantage of the situation. When you’re lying there staring blankly at the ceiling, you can get a lot done — like writing hit songs. In the past, I’ve also roughed out several chapters for books I happened to be working on, and put together some half decent speeches.

The following morning is an altogether different kettle of fish. I read of a study the other day that concluded sleep loss affects our ability to make sound decisions. During a sleep-deprived day, we might, for example, gamble with higher stakes at the casino, or be less careful while driving.

That’s caused by a surge in the production of dopamine in the body, which gives us a feeling of wellness and invincibility. This is a surprise to me, since the only thing I ever feel after a lousy night’s sleep is crappy.

The report suggests students who pull all-nighters studying and think they’ve done great on the exam when they actually bombed out are really on a dopamine high. That explains all those C-minuses I got in high school after 12 hours popping No Doz.

But what about my hit song? Unfortunately, I fell asleep about 4:30. When the alarm went off I remembered writing a song, and that it was a good one, but had no recall whatsoever of the music or the lyrics, or even the subject matter.

I’m hoping that nowhere in the composition were the words, “hold my hand I’ll understand,” and that maybe some day it will all come back to me. In the meantime, it’s Sarah McLachlan’s loss.

You who sleep soundly through the night should not be smug. People do strange things in their deep sleep. Some people talk, some toss and turn, some go for walks, some eat, some laugh. Some commit murder.

In London, England, a fast-asleep teenager climbed a 150-ft. crane.

My way is better. There are a few things I need to catch up on, and expect everything will fall into place tomorrow morning around 2 a.m. I just hope I can remember it all when the alarm goes off.

Maybe I’ll even wake up singing a happy tune.