Thanks for all the comments and sharing everyone!

You're right Marye. Becoming less attached to the idea of sleep is huge. I've noticed that ever since I became more relaxed and let go of any attachment to whether I sleep or not (mainly after realising that a period a deep relaxation will work just as well) I now don't need as many hours as I previously did. I observe some of those around me, particularly my partner who gets very tense if she can't get the amount of sleep she thinks she needs, and consequently the rest she gets is never enough.

There have been a few things that have limited my practice so far. One is that my partner likes to read on her e-reader while in bed, and this has been pretty disturbing for me. I find the electro-magnetic frequencies mean that I can relax but it's harder to relax deeply and it's also harder to enter a meditative state. Also, my son is still co-sleeping and likes to have his feet on me during the night so I very often get kicked in the ribs or the head ;)

I also don't usually sleep on my back (I'm a side sleeper). However, I have been doing these conscious relaxation exercises on my back. After about 30 minutes I actually start to experience a fair bit of pain. It's like a dull ache all over my body. Just wondered if that was normal?