You are feeling very sleepy...

MOST cities make a virtue of their non-stop status. I’ve been to bagel bars at 4am in New York, shivered on London night buses and partied by candlelight in Taipei.

But a two-day break in Berlin was going to combine a much maligned and overlooked ingredient – sleep.

In truth, I have never having been one for the nocturnal, drink-yourself-to-oblivion holiday. I usually have the dubious honour of being the first one at breakfast. Or the only one at breakfast.

So at first glance I was a perfect candidate for a sightseeing tour combined with Swissotel Berlin’s “deep sleep” package, a tonic for jet-setting business executives and ambling holidaymakers alike.

My stay at the tastefully-appointed hotel began with a consultation by Dr Little Elk, a sleep expert based at a Berlin hospital who is married to an American Indian. I began by admitting that I normally crash out after – or in front of – the TV or internet, sometimes aided by a glass of wine or beer.

“We live in a world where people are on smart phones checking text messages and emails late into the night,” she said. “What we need to do is to send calming messages to the brain. People have unlearnt how to sleep, and a holiday is an ideal time to learn again.

“Alcohol will help you fall asleep but the quality will be worse. You are more likely to snore and your breathing will be affected.”

I tell the doctor that I often struggle to get to sleep but can snooze until well past midday.

“You are a late person,” Dr Little Elk said. “You need to work later and let yourself wake up naturally. Studies have shown that people who do that perform better at work because it fits their natural cycle.”

With a lifetime of laziness blamed on British work hours, I hit Berlin.

The hotel lies in the west of the city on the Kurfurstendamm, an elegant shopping district with wide parades and department stores, theatres and cafes. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was bombed to the ground 1943 and now lies in ruins next to a new place of worship, lies a short stroll away amid a mixture of plazas, buildings from the 1920s and chain stores.

A 10-minute train ride took me to Brandenburg Gate, the imperious monument in the heart of the city, though when I visited a jazz band was setting the tone.

The Soviet War Memorial – with its statue of a giant, hulking soldier – is nearby, as is the Reichstag, scene of some of German history’s most momentous events.

Next stop was the East Side Gallery, a 1.3km-long stretch of the Berlin wall where no speck of grey has been left untouched by artists from every corner of the Earth.

By night, Berlin’s passion for all things new comes to the fore. I slid into Club Yaam, best described as part Caribbean shanty town, part Brick Lane. I took Dr Little Elk’s advice and resisted the Red Stripe beer, instead sipping mango juice while electro beats filled the air and circus performers took over the sky.

Retreating to the hotel, I reclined on a day bed and, a little tentatively at first, picked up an oxygen mask for the daily 20-minute mountain air treatment. With up to four per cent less oxygen than normal air, the effect is like taking a deep breath at 2,500 metres. Within minutes my aching shoulders and legs loosened and my mind began to wander.

I floated back to my room to find a herbal “calm down” drink waiting. A pillow emitting soothing chamber music provided a further inducement to sleep.

I rose to spend 30 minutes in front of a 10,000-lux lamp – room lighting is usually 100 lux – for a light therapy session intended to stimulate the body’s natural senses. Lack of light is blamed for an increase in the melatonin, which can lead to lethargy, and the treatment is also used to treat seasonal affective disorder.

A “power drink” consisting of mate tea, mango, pineapple, ginger, vanilla, mint and crushed ice followed.

Feeling revitalised, I ghosted a few stops north to the Film Museum, a stylish, futuristic tribute to the silver screen featuring a giant “wall of mirrors” telling the story of German cinema. You can also browse rare film archives and walk along starship-like white panelled corridors taking in the greats of the past.

Some attractions, however, are less easily found. I had a scrap of paper from a friend enthusing: “Try the flak tower near Humboldthain…massive!” Enquiries with locals at the station resulted in blank looks and led me to an outdoor swimming pool with a flume! Eventually I came across the uneven hill with gigantic concrete fortifications on the bank side.

I crossed the old border at Checkpoint Charlie before tucking into an extraordinarily well executed and presented meal at Restaurant 44, the hotel’s acclaimed fine dining establishment.

Later, as I prepared for more high-quality slumber, Dr Little Elk said: “Most people think sleep is a U-shape. In fact it’s more like the New York skyline. You have light sleep, deep sleep and then REM – or rapid eye movement – stages. For the best sleep you need to repeat the cycle.”

I not so much flew as drifted home on a bed of perfectly-rippled clouds. Returning to find an invite for a lads’ holiday on the Costa de Sol in my inbox, I could only think of two words: Dream on.

Travel log

• Josh tried out the deep sleep package at Swissotel Berlin, part of the chron-health concept developed specifically for the hotel by somnologist Dr Michael Feld.

• The package costs from £154 per night, with extra sleep analysis via mobile wiring also available. For more information visit www.swissotel.com/berlin
• easyJet fly to Berlin Schoenefeld from Luton and London Gatwick. For more information and booking visit www.easyjet.com
• The Berlin Welcome Card offers unlimited travel on the public transport network for 48 hours, 72 hours or five days and allows discounts of up to 50 per cent on more than 200 tourist attractions and cultural highlights. Visit: www.visitberlin.de/en/welcomecard