Today is the longest day of 2026.
It’s the Summer Solstice, which this year officially happens at 09.24 BST. That
is when the Sun hits its highest point in the sky today. While it is the
longest day of the year, the amount of daylight you can expect to enjoy differs
depending on where you live. For example, if you are unfortunate enough to be
living in London you can expect just 16 hours and 39 mins of daylight. Come up
North to sunny Blackpool, and we will be enjoying 17 hours and 11 mins of
daylight today.
I was able to witness the sunrise
from the comfort of my bed this morning. We don’t have a single curtain in the
house and so I have an unhindered view of the sky changing and the daylight
arriving. I have always liked the rawness of our weather, and simply enjoy
looking out and seeing what the day might bring weather wise. Jane is not so
keen on no curtains, as the summer light can interfere with her ability to
sleep.
Light shining in at daybreak
doesn’t worry me at all. I usually have no trouble dropping off to sleep and I
wake naturally any time between 04.00 - 04.30. That said, I do tend to go to
bed around 22.00, and I’m usually asleep within minutes. Around 6 hours sleep
seems to suffice, and that is 2 hours more than what Maggie Thatcher was said
to sleep each night.
Napoleon Bonaparte was once asked
how many hours’ sleep people need. It is reported he said: ‘six for a man,
seven for a woman, and eight for a fool’. However, research suggests that
it is the quality of the sleep that is more important, not the quantity. Jane will often give me a report on her sleep.
She knows how long she has been asleep and what were the periods of quality
sleep. It is all information to found on her Fitbit.
I’m still not sure how a device
worn on the wrist can determine what different stages of sleep we are
experiencing, but park that to one side for the moment. Every night we will all
go through a number of stages of sleep. Each stage typically lasts 90 minutes.
We normally will experience several cycles of each sleep stage every night.
Stages 1 and 2 are both characterised as ‘light sleep’, with stage 2
making up the bulk of our total sleep time. These are called Non-Rapid Eye Movement
(NREM) as is Stage 3, ‘deep sleep’. This is the most restorative stage
of our sleep, both from a physical and mental health perspective.
The final stage, Stage 4, REM
sleep, is a rather interesting stage. It’s where we are likely to experience
vivid dreams, but it’s also where learning and memories are consolidated. As
the night wears on, the REM sleep stage becomes longer within the 4 cycles of
sleep. The proper cycling through all stages is required to ensure physical
restoration, effective cognitive functioning and emotional health. It is Stage
4, REM sleep where our memory, and other essential brain functions are most
protected.
Tomorrow I’m hopefully going to
experience a different approach to protecting my brain functions. Totally
ironically, having lived with shingles for 3 weeks, tomorrow, I’m due to have
my shingles vaccination. I doubt they will give it to me. My body has, over the
past 3 weeks, been busy making antibodies and generating a memory legacy of B
and T cells for future use should I come into contact with the virus in the
future. We will see.
Last week it was reported that
the shingles vaccine lowers the risk of dementia by 25%. In the UK, 77,000
people die of dementia each year. If you are over 65, talk to your GP about
getting the vaccination. Shingles is a horrible condition. It is probably the
most painful condition imaginable, but hopefully lasts just weeks. Dementia is far
worse, and there is no cure. That said, I’m sure there are many ways we can
help ensure we all get to see many more sunrises!