Apparently I’m completely out of the loop when it comes to shame. In this article from The Guardian concerning the importance of sleep, author Matthew Walker sets me straight on how I should feel about sleep if I’m going to be part of Brit culture:
But Walker believes, too, that in the developed world sleep is strongly associated with weakness, even shame. “We have stigmatised sleep with the label of laziness. We want to seem busy, and one way we express that is by proclaiming how little sleep we’re getting. It’s a badge of honour. When I give lectures, people will wait behind until there is no one around and then tell me quietly: ‘I seem to be one of those people who need eight or nine hours’ sleep.’ It’s embarrassing to say it in public. They would rather wait 45 minutes for the confessional. They’re convinced that they’re abnormal, and why wouldn’t they be? We chastise people for sleeping what are, after all, only sufficient amounts. We think of them as slothful. No one would look at an infant baby asleep, and say ‘What a lazy baby!’ We know sleeping is non-negotiable for a baby. But that notion is quickly abandoned [as we grow up]. Humans are the only species that deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent reason.” In case you’re wondering, the number of people who can survive on five hours of sleep or less without any impairment, expressed as a percent of the population and rounded to a whole number, is zero.
I try to get 8 a night and I make no bones about it. Maybe this “sleep isn’t for the rough and tough” isn’t an American thing? But then, a substantial portion of the American population works more than 50 hours a week, and many keep their cellphones near their beds just in case some work-related item comes in at 3am.
Since I’m talking about it, what are the estimated costs of not getting your 8 hours a night?
“No aspect of our biology is left unscathed by sleep deprivation,” he says. “It sinks down into every possible nook and cranny. And yet no one is doing anything about it. Things have to change: in the workplace and our communities, our homes and families. But when did you ever see an NHS poster urging sleep on people? When did a doctor prescribe, not sleeping pills, but sleep itself? It needs to be prioritised, even incentivised. Sleep loss costs the UK economy over £30bn a year in lost revenue, or 2% of GDP. I could double the NHS budget if only they would institute policies to mandate or powerfully encourage sleep.”
2% of American GDP? The World Bank estimates American GDP at $18.57 trillion, so 2% of that is … $.371 trillion. Or $371 billion?
Seems a bit amazing. Maybe I did my math wrong.
Any American readers think sleep is a sign of weakness?
