At first blush, the notion of being a cow or a dolphin or a fish, let alone a python, might not seem extremely attractive. New mothers across the country could well beg to differ. For as we report today, a major study suggests that they are experiencing far less shut-eye than did their parents.

This is a sad state of affairs and puts the modern mum at a disadvantage when compared with certain members of the animal kingdom. Cattle can enjoy their sleep while standing up (which is useful) although scientists have established that they have to lie down in order to dream (just how was this discovered?). A dolphin puts half of its brain to sleep at a time (as many teenagers also seem to do), which must be helpful. A fish can sleep with its eyes open (rather essential as it does not possess any eyelids). The python obtains more sleep than any other creature on Earth, with a wondrous 18 hours of kip every day. By contrast, the poor old giraffe secures about 100 minutes (then again, finding a giraffe-sized bed must be virtually impossible).

Humans should all regard that large snake as their role model. No one really knows why sleep takes place because the amount of energy saved by snoozing (about 50 calories) is barely that in a slice of bread. Thomas Edison claimed that sleep was “a waste of time” and sadistically pioneered the lightbulb to make obtaining 40 winks harder. Yet we all understand how much better the body feels after seven or eight hours of blissful restful inactivity. So let’s hear it for the lie-in, the cat-nap and the siesta. Or, better still, not hear it because the land of nod has come beckoning.