MikeLigalig.com

Rubin Naiman, Ph.D.
Sleep and dream specialist

Here and Meow: What Cats Can Teach Us About Sleep

09/10/2013

I've never been much of a cat person. I'll confess that until recently I couldn't understand the lure these mysterious creatures had for so many. Beyond their penchant for catching the occasional rodent, it seemed they were little more than hypersomnolent stoics who couldn't distinguish a scratching post from a fine leather sofa.


Cary Grant
--Lucy Blodgett, Assistant Editor, The Huffington Post Los Angeles

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Cats commonly sleep between 12 and 16 hours a day -- more than most mammals and up to twice as much as humans. Why do they sleep so much? Well, because they can. Cats are predators with few natural enemies, meaning they live under the auspices of a generous, genetically-endowed sense of physical safety. They are, after all, first cousins to the king of the jungle. It's obvious to anyone who has ever watched a cat sleep that they feel remarkably safe and secure.


Sparta
She enjoyed her little coat so much it put her right to sleep!
--Paige Harmes, Weekend Overnight Shift Supervisor, The Huffington Post Media Group

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As predators, cats are also inclined to engage in significant spurts of physical activity. They can expend extraordinary amounts of energy stalking, pouncing and wrestling their prey into submission. Even when this prey is a tattered toy mouse, cats generally obtain substantial amounts of exercise. Relative to cats, humans are significantly less animated. Despite the fact that cardiovascular activity provides substantial sleep benefits, nearly half of all adults do not meet established minimal guidelines for adequate exercise.


Daxter Bailey
Dax for short sleeping on his favorite canine.
--Paige Harmes, Weekend Overnight Shift Supervisor, The Huffington Post Media Group

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Although we can only speculate about their subjective experience, cat behavior suggests they live with an unusual sense of continuity between waking and sleep. In contrast, most of us distance ourselves from sleep during our waking day. We relate to sleep the way we relate to our bed -- we're with it by night but keep it under cover by day. We've come to believe that civilized waking must be positioned far from the wilds of sleep. Consequently, millions of us think we're just incapable of napping.


Jasmine
This is Jasmine, enjoying a level of relaxation humans can only aspire to.
--Laura Paull, Supervising Editor for Citizen Journalism / Off the Bus 2012, The Huffington Post

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In sharp contrast, it appears that modern humans literally have diminished awareness of twilight. The majority of us routinely sleep through dawn and rush through dusk. One could argue that humans have become "anti-crepuscular" and, consequently, are out of touch with the natural, open corridor that bridges day and night as well as waking and sleep. For millions of us, transitioning to sleep is like crossing a highly secure border between two polarized states. Having disengaged so thoroughly from sleep by day leaves us at greater risk for insomnia -- of getting stopped and stranded in this corridor by night.


Dany, Georgina and Arya
--Jade Walker, Overnight Editor, The Huffington Post

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Become a copycat. There is most certainly something about twilight that invites us deeply into the present moment -- the here and now. Experiment with carrying elements of sleep with you throughout the day. Not as sleepiness or fatigue, but in the form of a comfortable sense of serenity, poise and relaxation. It's not surprising that being in the present moment is associated with deeply relaxed states such as those found in prayer, meditation, yoga, and moments of intimate connection. When we are in the here and now, we often look like we are partially asleep.


Kashi
--Anna Brand, Homepage Editor, Aol.com, AOL Huffington Post Media Group

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Cool...

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meowwww

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