Sleep Lessons from Cats (for exhausted people!)
England is full of millions of exhausted people, who work too hard, worry too much and don’t get enough sleep. We are bombarded with tips for ‘sleep routines’, herbal teas, sleeping pills, herbal sleeping pills, music and meditations to help us sleep, etc.
But of course, all you really need to do, to know how to slow down and sleep more, is to look at your average domestic moggie. Cats sleep nearly all day, and they have the pattern down to an art. So here are some tips from feline friends, on how to get more shut-eye!
The average cat sleeps 15 hours a day, with kittens sometimes up to 20 hours a day. This harks back to wild ancestors when (like lions) they would be in a light sleep most of the day, reserving energy for dawn and dusk for hunting (a reason to keep them inside during this time, when garden birds are feeding). Also avoid wood-based bird tables, as cats can claw up them.
Never use essential oils (especially on beds) near cats, as they can’t break down down in the liver. If you learn these sleep tips from cats, you likely won’t need lavender oil on your pillow anyway!
Find a Safe Snoozy Spot
Most cats have favourite places to sleep (fireplaces should have guards, with flammable items nearby removed). Like your cat friends, seek out somewhere nice.
Give your bedroom a budget makeover, to make it somewhere nice to relax. Or even adopt a comfy chair with a book and footrest, complete with favourite blanket.
Take a Cat Nap!
A cat would never not take a break, if feeling tired. So if you are feeling exhausted, take time out for a cosy place to rest and recharge. It’s called a ‘cat nap’ for a reason!
Don’t Overcomplicate Things
You don’t need books and mantras and music and oils to sleep. Just sit down and relax. Humans are the only creatures that will simply ‘keep going’ when they feel tired, if they don’t need to. All other creatures just sleep. A dog will feel tired – and go off to bed. Same with dolphins, apes and cats!
Listen to Your Body
If your eyes are starting to close, your body feels knackered and you are finding it hard to visit the corner shop, embrace rest. Don’t ‘do exercise as it will give you more energy’.
If a cat feels tired, he or she won’t eat the cat equivalent of an energy bar, watch TV to ‘stay awake’ or even do yoga. He or she will just find a snoozy place, and sleep.
Be Independent
Cats are very independent creatures, and happy in their own company, for a lot of the time. So if you feel sleepy, don’t say yes to the opening of an envelope.
If you feel tired, go home and run a bath, cook a cosy veggie stew, put your pyjamas on, watch an old film, then snuggle into bed with a hot water bottle (perhaps with a sleepy cat on the covers!)
Regulate Your Temperature
Cats adjust their sleeping positions, to stay comfortable. So like them, curl up when you’re cold and stretch out when you’re warm.
Use sustainable cotton or hemp or linen bedlinen, to let skin breathe and keep you cool in summer and warm in winter.
