It seemed like a great idea ... sleep more, lose weight ... something I could really sink my head on to a pillow with, or my teeth into a cheesecake. It's possible, though, that I've lived too long to take advantage of this new diet plan.

A story out of Canada seems to be putting the kibosh on any nap-away-inches thoughts for me.

Apparently, although it's not true that older folks need less sleep that when they were young, it is true that we get less. The older we get, the less able we are to sleep undisturbed through the night.

Why?

There are a host of reasons for this. The inevitably disturbed sleep of new mothers gives way to hot flashes, mood swings and night sweats in menopausal women, all of which make for a restless night. As we age, there's a gradual dulling of our circadian rhythms, the internal clock by which our body measures day and night. Accumulated aches and pains and assorted ailments may rouse us or send us scurrying to the bathroom.

This doesn't even take into account the multi-whammy of new motherhood AND hot flashes, mood swings and night sweats all in the same night! And women do have it tougher, even when it comes to sleep:

Certainly, from their child-bearing years through the upheavals that begin with perimenopause, many women start to take weariness for granted."There's no time in your life when it's healthy to go without adequate sleep, but this is especially true when you're over age 40," University of California neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine cautions in her book The Female Brain. "Unfortunately, erratic estrogen changes during perimenopause can disturb the female brain's sleep clock. If you don't sleep well for several days, it can be hard to concentrate; you may also become more impulsive and irritable than usual and say things you wish you hadn't. So this may actually be a good time to bite your tongue in order to protect relationships."

Bite your tongue? Really...

Don't say things like,"Get your lazy butt out of this bed this instant and go change that baby so I can get some sleep!"?

Right. Ooops. Maybe I'm just grumpy and tired.

In case you're wondering ...

Cows, elephants and horses sleep for about three hours a night.

Giraffes only need less than two at a stretch.

Lions and tigers can snooze for more than 13 hours after a hearty meal.

Seals, dolphins and migratory birds have the totally cool setup: one hemisphere of their brain sleeps while the other continues to take care of business.

Oh! How I wish I could pull that off.

And from Barenaked Ladies:

Who needs sleep?
well you're never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
tell me what's that for
Who needs sleep?
be happy with what you're getting
There's a guy who's been awake
since the Second World War.
There's so much joy in life,
so many pleasures all around
But the pleasure of insomnia
is one I've never found
With all life has to offer,
there's so much to be enjoyed
But the pleasures of insomnia
are ones I can't avoid.