When speaking to one of the key ingredients to his success, Arnold Schwarzenegger stated that he only sleeps for six hours a night. For those who sleep eight or nine hours, Arnold suggests to “just sleep faster”. It seems that in today’s world, a lack of sleep is something to take pride in. This phenomenon hits men where it hurts; the belief that manliness is somehow about out-doing your male peers has made the number of hours you work a symbol of success and status. I’d like to rewrite this story and explain why sleeping is healthy
A lot has been said about why we sleep. It’s evident that sleep is an imperative part of our lives, biologically, physically, and psychologically. Modern science has shown that sleep deprivation, clinically defined as sleeping six or fewer hours a night (considered the norm for many self-proclaimed hard-workers), drastically impairs our cognitive functions, including memory, learning abilities, creative thinking, and concentration. Further, those who sleep less are more prone to dementia, heart attacks, and cancer. Sleep deprivation also messes with your hormones and blood sugar levels and directly affects physical performance. It seems unlikely that anyone would knowingly partake in behavior that induces these things, yet so many do, and even take pride in it.
Modern times have caused a shift in our circadian rhythm, the body’s natural cycle of waking with the sunrise and falling asleep after sunset. Smartphones and wireless internet make work accessible twenty-four-seven, and we’re often expected to be available outside of normal office hours. Not only do we idolize those who religiously sleep very little, but, we also tend to look down at those who get a full night’s sleep or ‘sleep in’. An afternoon nap is considered a complete and utter indulgence.
For more on the physiological importance of sleep, I recommend reading ‘Why We Sleep’ by Matthew Walker, but, for now, let’s discuss the correlation between sleep and manliness, and aim for a scenario in which sleep is placed on top of the priority list, busy as we may be.
For men, it has long been dictated that work, and one’s ability to do said work, quickly, efficiently, and without complaint, determines one’s perceived manliness. This belief has led to an adoration of overworking. Though overworking has been shown to go hand-in-hand with under-productivity, we still seem to imagine a successful man as someone with an endless stream of phone calls, who takes red-eye flights straight to a morning board meeting. Some of us aspire to be that guy, some of us might even be that guy. Work can be demanding, but it shouldn’t consume our lives. We have to start telling a new narrative. We have to create a new model of a successful man in which sleep takes a pivotal role.
How might we go about tackling this task, you may ask. Companies throughout Silicon Valley, have begun to make available to their employees, sleep tools such as weighted blankets, white-noise machines, and sleep monitoring devices like Whoop or the Aura ring. The tech-savvy can now venture into an entire field of gadgets to help them sleep like never before. But is this some sort of over-compensation?
While perhaps helpful, I propose becoming better listeners when it comes to our body’s messages before playing around with sleep tech. We don’t need monitors to tell us how efficiently we’re sleeping. We can simply tune in to our own bodies. How energized, or grumpy, do we feel during our day? Do we find ourselves reaching for coffee at three in the afternoon? Pay attention. To reclaim our well-being we have no choice but to consider sleep a pillar of good health and establish a new image of manliness - one that forgoes being overworked and for feeling good instead
Need a good role model? Simon Baker’s character in the TV show The Mentalist. He usually opts for napping on his office couch during times of critical workload, much to the despair of his colleagues. His nonchalant and self-assured manner ensures no one dare question him. Why not simply adopt a no-apologies-based attitude about getting enough sleep. It’s a basic requirement for human function. To pretend otherwise is both nonsensical and irresponsible. Let’s dare to make being unreachable outside business hours and uncompromising when it comes to our commitment to feeling our best the new status symbol of manliness?
For men, it has long been dictated that work, and one’s ability to do said work, quickly, efficiently, and without complaint, determines one’s perceived manliness. This belief has led to an adoration of overworking. Though overworking has been shown to go hand-in-hand with under-productivity, we still seem to imagine a successful man as someone with an endless stream of phone calls, who takes red-eye flights straight to a morning board meeting. Some of us aspire to be that guy, some of us might even be that guy. Work can be demanding, but it shouldn’t consume our lives. We have to start telling a new narrative. We have to create a new model of a successful man in which sleep takes a pivotal role.
How might we go about tackling this task, you may ask. Companies throughout Silicon Valley, have begun to make available to their employees, sleep tools such as weighted blankets, white-noise machines, and sleep monitoring devices like Whoop or the Aura ring. The tech-savvy can now venture into an entire field of gadgets to help them sleep like never before. But is this some sort of over-compensation?
While perhaps helpful, I propose becoming better listeners when it comes to our body’s messages before playing around with sleep tech. We don’t need monitors to tell us how efficiently we’re sleeping. We can simply tune in to our own bodies. How energized, or grumpy, do we feel during our day? Do we find ourselves reaching for coffee at three in the afternoon? Pay attention. To reclaim our well-being we have no choice but to consider sleep a pillar of good health and establish a new image of manliness - one that forgoes being overworked and for feeling good instead
Need a good role model? Simon Baker’s character in the TV show The Mentalist. He usually opts for napping on his office couch during times of critical workload, much to the despair of his colleagues. His nonchalant and self-assured manner ensures no one dare question him. Why not simply adopt a no-apologies-based attitude about getting enough sleep. It’s a basic requirement for human function. To pretend otherwise is both nonsensical and irresponsible. Let’s dare to make being unreachable outside business hours and uncompromising when it comes to our commitment to feeling our best the new status symbol of manliness?
Image: Mentalist / CBS
