"Schneider's glasses"

The late Uruk period

The cell phone - many people also like to take it to bed with them.(Bild: DimaBerlin - stock.adobe.com)

Sleeping problems? Author and columnist Robert Schneider investigates the problem and ends up taking a journey through time - a tiring one. 

"How are you sleeping at the moment?" Heinz wanted to know. "I'm okay," I replied. "So you're sleeping badly. How long have you been?" - "I'm not worried about that." - "But you should." I ordered a double espresso. "Did you know that more than half of Austrians suffer from sleep disorders?" he continued. "Especially children and teenagers. It's because of those smartphones they take to bed with them." - "That's why the world is so restless and argumentative," I countered.

"It's been proven that the blue light components in displays and LED lamps have a massive impact on falling asleep. Sibylle and I are in the process of converting our home lighting to the good old light bulb. They have a lot of red light. I've been sleeping like a rock ever since." - "Do light bulbs even still exist?" I asked, puzzled. - "My electrician stockpiled them by the pallet in his company when they switched to LED lighting. He said that in ten years' time, everyone would ruefully return to incandescent bulbs." - "But it won't exactly reduce your carbon footprint." - "When it comes to my sleep, I know no compromise!" - "What do you and your wife do in bed at night?" - "That's none of your business." - "I mean, how do you fall asleep? Do you listen to podcasts?" - "Not any more. I'm annoyed by the audacity of self-proclaimed experts. Besides, I can't remember what I heard the next morning." - "You'll just have to find something lulling."

The waitress finally brought my espresso. "What do you listen to when you fall asleep?" I asked. "Sibylle and I watch YouTube together. With blue light filter glasses." - "With blue light filter glasses. And what?" - "Videos about the late Uruk period. Excavation layers VI to IV. All in English, of course. There's nothing that tires you out as quickly as the late Uruk period."