A Sound Night's Sleep

Sleep is said to be a gift from God, but what happens when you can't drift off at night, or you regularly wake up in the small hours? Rosa Hunt investigates the science and spiritual purpose of sleep. Roughly 1 in 3 people experience periodic bouts of insomnia, and there's no it can be deeply troubling, both mentally and physically. Rosa Hunt (who suffers herself from insomnia) investigates the fascinating science and spiritual purpose of sleep, and talks to a number of fellow insomniacs. Rev'd Belinda Huxtable-Goy has suffered from disturbed sleep as a legacy of her previous job as a nurse working night shifts in trauma and obstetrics. Rev'd Dr Emma Whittick has managed to overcome her sleep difficulties after a lifelong struggle to sleep at night, whilst Rev Jon Birch started his teens as a very good sleeper, only to end with a very disrupted sleep pattern whilst experiencing the pressures of student life. As for so many people, this only got worse with the pressures of parenthood and dealing with very young children. In the past sleep was deemed practically a waste of time, and even the Bible sometimes seems to equate sleep with laziness. But as scientific understanding gets ever deeper, we can appreciate that sleep performs a whole range of essential functions. Professor Mark Blagrove, a psychiatrist from Swansea University and no stranger himself to wakeful hours in the middle of the night, explains some of the science and the multiple functions of sleep. Presenter: Rosa Hunt

Producer: Geoff Ballinger