Fairy-floss (or cotton candy, in some countries) is an insubstantial and sweet substance that melts on your tongue, leaving it oddly warm. It is gone in an instant, leaving almost no trace of itself behind, and leaving you just as hungry as you were before.
For me, sleep is like fairy-floss. There one minute, gone the next, and leaving me feeling as if it was never there at all.
I've been an insomniac most of my life. Sometimes I fantasise about how young I'd look, how clever I'd be, how quick to act, if only I ever experienced a week of unbroken sleep.
When I'm in a particularly bad patch, I tend to lie awake with my fists clenched, unaware of my doing so until I see the sharp indentations in my palms come the morning.
Various tactics have been known to aid my sleep in the past, but the absolute number one item is sleeping while in motion. Give me a bed on a train, a bus, a boat, and so long as the bed is relatively comfy I'll sleep like... a thing that is very good at sleeping.
Call it reverse-seasickness. The sensation of moving for me is one of the most calming feelings I know. Maybe the vibration shakes all the thoughts out of my head. I rather like thinking, and I find it difficult to give that up overnight.
Or maybe it is just the sensation of progress, of going somewhere, that allows me to relax and let go, even if it is just for a moment.
