For as long as my daughter Lucie has been with us, my sleep has been disturbed. The first weeks of broken slumber that are supposed to gradually reduce are still with us 11 years later. Her genetic condition means she suffers with several disabilities, but also seems to have the superpower of needing very little rest.

The nights and early morning I am awake are a burden. One I must carry for life, with no solution available (seriously, we have tried everything). Dependably, I am awake on average 5 nights from 7 at 3 or 4 am, sometimes much easier. Where most people suffer from sleep deprivation because of their choices, be it screen addiction or fixation on hustling, I would love to sleep more.

The weird thing is, on the occasional days Lucie does sleep until a reasonable time, I miss it. Not the headaches or the chronic tiredness, but the extra time. The early morning runs and the work completed at silly times of the night are a giant bonus. When I only have a ‘normal’ number of hours to use up, I run out of them far too quickly.

How on earth are we supposed to fit all this in. In 24 hours we need to sleep for 8, are expected to work for at least 8, leaving only 8 left. Just 8 short hours to do all the things that we need to do. Eating, washing, dressing, housework, commuting, and you know actually do things we enjoy. The modern world is broken, and it is no wonder lack of sleep is such an epidemic.

I am in a much better place if I just steal a few hours of sleep and use them for something else. Of course, my health isn’t it's literally killing me, but my enjoyment improves. The world is a much quieter place at 4 am, and I love it.