Think a yawn might help you to sleep?

Watch this - it always seems to work a treat!

If you’re an animal lover you might think wondering about whether animals dream, is a bit of a no-brainer. Obviously your sleeping cat and dog aren’t twitch their paws and noses for the sake of it, they’re mousing or chasing after an elusive smell, the only trouble is, how do you go about proving it?

Well, sadly no matter how intelligent your pet is, it’s a pretty long shot that they’re going to wake up after a quick forty winks and say, “You’ll never guess, I was just dreaming about being the first animal to climb the Empire State Building, but some rotten gorilla beat me to it!”

However, thanks to some very clever bods at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a cage full of rats, it’s been officially confirmed animals do dream.

The rats (who will remain nameless to protect their identity) had their brainwaves recorded as they were trained to run through a maze. Then, as they slept, scientists analysed their brainwaves again and saw the same patterns of thought were recurring. Proving that not only were our rodenty friends dreaming, but in fact dreaming about something that had just learnt to do!

So there you have it! Officially animals do dream and scarily like their human counterparts their dreaming minds are often trying to make sense of the days events. In fact it brings a whole new meaning to the phrases ‘Cat Napping’ and ‘Sleeping like a Dog.’

CHOICE FOR AUGUST

Batman: The Killing Joke (Deluxe Edition, Hardcover)

Alan Moore (Author), Brian Bollard (Illustrator) 

If you’ve recently been bitten by the Batman bug, then this graphic novel, ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ will immerse you into the dark, gritty world of the ‘Caped Crusade’.

Highlighting the back story and genesis of The Joker, this controversial tale from the legendary pen of Alan Moore pulls no punches. It’s dark, it’s violent and in many places ultimately disturbing. However, combined with the artistry of Brian Bolland’s imagery, this unique story of fate and redemption set the standard for graphic novels to follow.

Originally issued in the late 1980’s the new ‘Deluxe Hardcover Edition’ has been digitally recoloured and also features a bonus black and white story by Brian Bolland.

Be warned though, a walk in Gotham Park with Christian Bale and Heath Ledger this isn’t. But as Tim Burton (Hollywood director extraordinaire) says on the front cover ‘I loved The Killing Joke. It’s my favourite, it’s the first comic I’ve ever loved’.

If you find it hard to sleep because a light source is keeping you awake, maybe it’s time to try a Sleeping Mask?

O.K. so you may look like Zorro, but thousands of people around the world are suffering with insomnia because bright light is keeping them awake.

If you’re a shift worker, or a Mum with a young child, who’s trying to catch up on that all-important lost sleep, you’ll immediately recognize the problem. You’re tired out, but the sunlight (especially in the summer) is stopping you from falling asleep.

Maybe there’s a strong streetlight just outside your bedroom, or you’re a frequent flyer where the cabin lights are too bright - whatever your sleep problem is, if a bright light is causing it, then a sleep mask could be the answer to all your troubles.

So what kind of sleeping mask do I need?

Well the best advice it to look out for ones that include:

• Elastic Straps that are adjustable. (If the mask is too tight you can get a headache)
• Cotton/Velour Fabric. (The last thing you need is a sleeping mask that ‘rustles’ when you move, or makes your face sweaty.
• Padding around the nose/cheek area. (This lifts the mask slightly away from the face and lets you blink comfortably)
• Thick enough material to actually stop the light. (Sounds obvious but a lot of masks simply skimp in the area where you need them most!)

So the next time a bright light is keeping you awake, reach for your sleeping mask and look forward to some light relief and a really good sleep.

It’s Shakespeare, it’s Hamlet, its ActIII, Scene 1 and it’s probably the most quoted part of the play.

From the academic point of view, this soliloquy is the emotional centre of the play as Hamlet’s mental and moral anguish reach their height.

For the rest of us…Wow! What a sleep quote!

(Nice one Mr. Shakespeare, methinks thee verily surpasseth thyself!)

To be, or not to be, - that is the question: -
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? - To die, to sleep, -
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, - ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep; -
To sleep, perchance to dream: - ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despis’d love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would these fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death, -
The undiscover’d country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, - puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know naught of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought;
And enterprises of great pith and moment,
With this regard, their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action

Hamlet.  ActIII  Scene 1

So your lying awake in bed, you’ve got a mild case of insomnia and somehow you just can’t drift off to sleep! Does ‘Counting Sheep’ really work?

Surprisingly, it does!

O.K. So that’s a bit of a sweeping statement, not everyone is going to drift off to the Land of Nod just by counting a few woolly lambs. But the basic philosophy behind the premise is based in fact.

You see the trick with counting sheep is to create a monotonous repetitive exercise. Don’t be imaginative and create individual sheep. Don’t give them separate names like Shaun and Lamb-chop and whatever you do, don’t let them roam through interesting countryside.

Make them fluffy white, identical, everyday sheep. Something you wouldn’t look twice at in a field. Then, as they parade past you in a slow orderly fashion, count them off one by one.

In fact if you make the exercise as monotonous as possible, the chances are you’ll fall to sleep even quicker than you’d expect.

Working in the same way as when you start to fall asleep at the steering wheel of your car, when you’re on a really long and boring journey. Some observers compare it to a form of mild meditation where the mind seems to ‘zone’ out.

So, the next time you can’t sleep, start counting those sheep and meditate your way to a good night’s sleep.

I know it’s an old joke but it makes me laugh every time I hear it!

Many years ago, I was on safari and in the middle of the night I heard an animal padding around the outside of the tent, followed by an ear shattering roar. Scared half to death I picked up my gun and raced outside, where I shot a lion in my pyjamas.

And do you know to this very day I still don’t know what he was doing in my pyjamas! 

Thank-you, thank-you and once again I thank you!

CHOICE FOR JULY 

Kate Morton has done it again! Following on from her smash debut hit ‘House at Riverton’, her next novel ‘The Forgotten Garden’ is now out in paperback

Set in three distinctive time periods, mystery, aristocratic families and terrible secrets are all wrapped up in a cloak of Cornish intrigue, with more twists and turns than you can literally shake a stick at.

Suspenseful and captivating ‘The Forgotten Garden’ is one of those ‘must read’ books of the Summer. In fact it’s a book that will leave you and your friends discussing the hidden secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family for many a spooky night to come!

Does your baby roll over in his/her sleep? Most babies do, but medical experts the world over recommend that the best sleeping position for a baby is on it’s back.

That’s why we love the ‘Teddycal Fluo- Night Glo Baby Sleeping Posture Aid’.

O.K. so it sounds a bit of a mouthful, but the idea behind this ‘Posture Aid’ is simplicity itself. Position your baby between the ‘Teddycal’s’ support wedge cushion and the huggable teddy bear and your baby will comfortably sleep in the correct position.

On top of that the ‘Teddycal’s’ soft covering is machine washable (that’s a good idea) and when baby no longer needs a sleeping support, detachable Ted can move with your child to their new bed.

Quite simply we think the Teddycal Fluo - Night Glo Baby Sleeping Posture Aid is a great idea and we all love Teddy as well!
                                                         

So your bedroom’s seen better days, the carpet’s looking threadbare, the curtains faded and the walls could definitely do with a lick of paint. But the $64,000 question is where do you start?

Surprisingly the answer lies not in your bedroom but with you!

Simply ask yourself the question ‘Is this bedroom for me, or, is it for a prospective buyer, as I’m selling the house in the near future?’

You see, even though the basics of the bedroom can be the same, the overall effect will probably be totally different.

Which Colour?

O.K. So let’s look at the basic foundation of any redecoration (and the most important decision of all) Colour.

Now it’s a well-known psychological fact that certain colours have different effects on the human mind. Vibrant colours, like reds and oranges excite. While cooler colours such as blues and greens tend to soothe. So the conventional wisdom would seem to point to a more neutrally coloured bedroom.

Yes I know you’ve set your heart on dramatic red walls with a ‘Hawaiian Sunset’ orange ceiling. But believe me, if you want a bedroom to relax in, that washes away the cares of the day then look towards more subtle mellowing tones. (In other words stick with the pastel greens and blues you’ll feel better for it)

Carpet and Curtains!

Next up, choose a light coloured carpet, one that doesn’t show the foot traffic around the bed, but also generates a feeling of space within the room. And in then same vane of mind, don’t choose busy patterned curtains, they can drive you insane when you’re lying awake in bed.

Personalisation

This really is where the main difference in a bedroom lies. If you’re sleeping in your bedroom then personalisation is all-important. Photos, mementos, things that make the bedroom personal to you, will engender a feeling of relaxation and security. And try and get rid of any excess electrical clutter like computers and mobile phones, as they tend to make your area of relaxation feel more like a work zone.

Conversely if you’ve decorated your bedroom because you’re going to sell the house, keep the bedroom as clutter free as possible. That even means putting your collection of antique teddy bears (that everybody’s got to love!) in a cupboard or storage. Remember when a prospective buyer sees your home they want to imagine it’s theirs. So let them see a blank canvas they where they can imagine their precious porcelain cats smiling at them first thing in the morning.

In short if you’re redecorating your bedroom, think light colours, make it an area of relaxation and wherever possible reduce the clutter. (Not only does it look good, it also saves on the dusting.)