Homework has no place in the home

Nigella! What’s this I hear about you drinking tea every two hours throughout the night and sleeping in between?

I’m no expert, but it sounds like a recipe for disaster. I get the appeal of turning in at 7.30 every evening, as she does, and once my youngest is old enough to rustle up her own supper I fully intend to do the same. But that’s because I want to catch up on a 15-year sleep deficit, not fixate on my next cuppa. It’s often been said that you are such a foodie that you would never compromise on epicurean delights for the sake of your waistline – but sleep is not an optional extra. Scientists have established that short-changing our shut-eye impacts almost every area of our bodies, including mental health, making our unwillingness to sleep enough one of the unhealthiest things we can do. Even more than polishing off a couple of slices of your 7,000-calorie chocolate hazelnut cheesecake.

The most vivid picture of sleep as an active rather than a passive state I’ve read was published in Time magazine last year. Neurons pulse with electrical signals that wash over the brain in a rhythmic flow as it runs checks on itself to ensure the balance of hormones, enzymes and proteins isn’t too far off-kilter. All the while, brain cells are contracting, opening up spaces so that fluid can wash out the toxic detritus that can cause all kinds of problems.

Essentially, it’s like a dishwasher that keeps flushing through to sluice the dirt away. Just as no selfrespecting cook would fail to switch on the Zanussi after a day’s graft, no busy person should countenance a new day without a fresh mind.

Nigella, surely you can sacrifice a few rounds of Typhoo in order to safeguard your health? If it helps, I’ll even come round and tuck you in.