Humans spend about one third of their lives sleeping. For some this might seem like a terrible waste. The fact is however that sleep is crucial to the quality of the time you spend awake.

The accepted normal amount of sleep people need is 8 hours each night but there is really no magic number. Some people do well on 7 hours whilst others will clearly need 9 hours. The amount of sleep you require will vary throughout life. You may need to sleep more when there is physical or psychological stress, or when you have a debt of sleep to pay off.

Sleep is like the computer defrag. It is as though the inner mind is processing and reorganising information from our waking experience. As with the computer, if this maintenance is not regular and sufficient, function and efficiency will suffer. Both minds and computers can crash.

Indeed research indicates that too little sleep is really risky. There is increased potential for accidents as intellectual function is diminished. There are also associated physical concerns such as increased risk of obesity, diabetes and heart problems. Sleep deprivation is also strongly associated with depression and mental illness.

The main thing that gets in the way of good quality sleep is anxiety. Parents will recognise the phenomenon where an obviously exhausted, but overstimulated child cannot sleep. For adults this internal over stimulation can self replicate as the anxiety about sleeplessness creates a vicious circle.

Professional Counselling is one effective way to work out your worries. Exercise is also an important opportunity though it appears that gentle movement such as stretching and yoga or walking are best.

Another action that is proven to successfully improve sleep is meditation. Meditation can come with lots of ideological complications but at base it is about learning to take charge of the minds machinations.

There are many places to learn this simple skill including the free meditation sessions I facilitate each Sunday at the Manly Community Centre, 12 Wentworth St Manly between 9.00 and 10.30 AM. The next session will be on the 30^th of March, continuing weekly from there.

Martin Hunter Jones is an honorary life member of the Australian Counselling Association. He has a Counselling and Hypnotherapy practice on the Northern Beaches. Phone 9973 4997.