Getting Enough Sleep? You Must Not Be Working Hard Enough
On Sleep; Why You Need It While You're Alive (Don't Just Rely on "Sleeping When You're Dead")
“Sleep is for the weak.”
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
If these are sayings you live by, chances are, you’ll probably be weaker and die sooner (sorry, a little harsh). In the dog-eat-dog world we live in, sleep is often seen as a “waste of time.” We gloat at the lack of sleep we got when we were up all night studying, out too late, or binging the same Netflix show for the 5th time (Friends, probably). On the other hand, we mock those who are in bed by 9/10 PM and get a full 7-8 hours of rest, “You’re such a grandma!”, “You’re no fun!”
The other day, for example, my cousin (first year medical student) was mentioning how he only got 4 hours of sleep to his preceptor (a physician), to which she replied, “Are you serious?! I only got two, I’d be lucky to have five”—as if it’s some kind of competition. You must be lazy if you’re sleeping too much.
But how much is too much? How much is enough? How bad does our body really need sleep? & what are we truly risking when we avoid it? Does a lack of sleep simply result in us being more tired the next day? An extra few yawns during your day is the “big risk?” Or does a lack of sleep result in incurred brain damage, an increased risk for cancer, obesity, Alzheimer’s and a shorter life-span?
According to sleep expert and neuroscientist, Dr. Matthew Walker, who was recently featured in Joe Rogan’s The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (Episode #1109), sleep does more than “allow you to rest.” It repairs all the brain damage we incur during the day. Yes, that’s right—right now, as you are reading this, learning new things, you are accumulating brain damage. So if you’re up for 20 hours of the day, accumulating brain damage, and you’re giving your body four hours to recuperate (I mean, that just sounds scary) you’re left with a surplus of damage. When you’re not sleeping enough, you’re essentially filling a sink with waste for hours (toxin build-up, while you’re awake) and allowing it to drain for 30 seconds (cleansing/re-setting when you’re asleep). The build-up of this toxin (beta amyloid) is the biggest risk factor in developing Alzheimer’s. Anyway, the biologics of the whole thing are nicely summarized in Joe’s podcast and Dr. Walker’s book (Why We Sleep); let’s focus on changing the culture of #TeamNoSleep.
Some key messages delivered by Dr. Walker:
- Less sleep = less productivity
- Less sleep = lower ability to come up with innovative solutions
- Less sleep = more sickness = less productivity = higher economic burden
- Less sleep = more brain damage = higher risk of an abundance of diseases
- Less sleep = less awareness = higher chances of f*cking up on the daily (excuse my language)
I can keep going, but overall, less sleep = B A D. So let’s step away from this idea that less sleep = harder worker; because in this case, quantity directly impacts quality. Dr. Walker mentions that human beings are the only species that purposely deprive themselves of sleep. Classic humans and their new ways to create unnecessary difficulties in their lives. Sleep isn’t a system we can cheat; there’s no “cure” to a lack of sleep… other than sleeping. So, please, turn off the lights, stfu & go to sleep.
About the Creator
Ravneet Sran
I hear about things, think about things, and occasionally write about these things. :)
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