Advice and products related to sleep have been popular in the news and media recently. Much research has been conducted on sleep, and even the number of sleep disorders have risen. Years ago, the area of sleep posed many unanswered questions. Today, it is presented as a problem solved, and a good night’s sleep has also became a commodity that people are sold to acquire.
Interestingly, one block of uninterrupted sleep per day is a new idea. In the past, sleep used to be biphasic, which meant that people used to sleep once, wake up for an hour or so, and go back to sleep until the next morning. By mid-1800s, two periods of sleep became less prevalent and the single block of rest became the norm. A historian attributed the shift to a few factors such as the invention of artificial lighting, and changes to how work was understood.
A word of caution given by the author is that we should be aware of how social forces shape our understanding of sleep. The current literature around sleep inform us that good sleep hygiene would help us become more emotionally stable, rational, and healthier humans. However, sleep-deprived individuals seem to be the majority in our modern society. Drug companies and sleeping aid companies also reveal that if we are lacking energy in fulfilling our daily routines and regularly experiencing fatigue, we may be facing a sleep disorder that requires remedy. The author however also opines that the sleep industry should be more realistic, and consider the modern environment we are in to see if it is realistic to expect people to sleep well.
Read the full article on The Guardian: Why the sleep industry is keeping us awake at night
Analysis:
It is interesting that the author has points out that Thatcherism aimed to break down social problems into personal ones, shifting the responsibilities from the state to the individuals themselves. In the midst of that, depression was attributed to the lack of sleep. The logic became as such: lack of sleep will make one depressed, that it was detrimental for health, and the economy suffers from depressed workers. It also supports his argument of people getting distracted from real issues that are causing us to lose sleep.
While we recognize that there are good products and services that exist in the market to serve actual needs of people, a key takeaway from this is to question the intent behind how and why products are marketed to us. Additionally, why are certain ideas promoted by media? As humans tend to strive for comfort, and pleasure, they would usually take action to change parts of their lives which are not working out for them.
Questions for further personal evaluation:
- Do you think sleep issues should be rectified with drugs and sleeping aids?
- Should we accept the fact that having sleep problem is a feature of modern life?
Useful vocabulary:
- ‘biphasic’: having two phases
- ‘wane’: decrease in vigour or extent