SALON

Wednesday, Apr 10, 2013 9:45 PM UTC

Is sleep the new sex?

When we we aren't doing it, we're talking about it. But we also love to boast about how little we need

By

Topics: Margaret Thatcher, Donald Trump, Sleep, Editor's Picks, ,

Is sleep the new sex? (Credit: pzRomashka via Shutterstock)

History will ultimately decide if Margaret Thatcher was the woman who ruined Britain or a feminist role model, but one thing’s undeniable — in a world in which insomnia is a competitive sport, the Iron Lady was a sleep deprivation world champion. A BBC story Wednesday recalls the former prime minister’s  “fearsome reputation” for requiring only four hours of sleep a night. Take that, puny humans!

Whether that figure was entirely, consistently accurate is up for debate, but Thatcher is definitely remembered among those who knew her as one who, “when everyone else went off to bed, went off to work.” In that regard, she put herself in the company of Napoleon Bonaparte, who said only “a fool” needed eight hours of sleep, and Winston Churchill, who was frequently a four-hour-a-night man himself. In contrast, Thatcher’s weaksauce successor John Major “found it difficult coming after her because the civil service had got used to a prime minister who never slept, and he used to sleep eight hours a night.”

For something that comes naturally, there’s endless room for debate over how to sleep correctly. As Carol Worthman, director of the Laboratory for Comparative Human Biology at Emory University, notes, hunter-gatherer societies often “sleep when they feel like it — during the day, in the evening, in the dead of night.” Meanwhile, the siesta — the delightful practice of taking a little midday snooze — exists in cultures all over the world.

Our modern, Western relationship with sleep is far more complicated and conflicted. Physiology researcher Kenneth Wright told NPR last month that “Sleep has to be a priority,” and priority it is, at least conversationally. Our Facebook and Twitter feeds are almost as crammed with sleep updates as they are with pictures of dinner. Who’s awake but exhausted this morning? Who’s in need of caffeine? Who’s putting in a late night and will regret it later? Who’s awake in the dead of night? One-third of Americans say they’re getting six hours a night or fewer. And while sleep isn’t quite the new sex, its pursuit and satisfactions are frequently remarked upon and bragged over in much the same way. And when doing it eludes us, we talk about it instead. Yet the difference between sleep and sex is that we simultaneously urgently long for it and love to show off how little of it we need.

Sleep is surrender; it’s for the weak. No wonder so many famous people take the Thatcherite route of seeming to never do it. Martha Stewart has humble bragged, “It’s an exhausting lifestyle, and I always say sleep can go. It’s not important to me right now.” Designer Tom Ford says he sleeps only three hours a night.  Donald Trump claims a similar schedule, saying, “How does somebody that’s sleeping 12 and 14 hours a day compete with someone that’s sleeping three or four?”

Sleep is glorious; it’s exactly what we need.  On Tuesday, the New York Post ran a splashy feature on the expensive lengths to which some people will go for a good night’s sleep — including a mother of triplets who hired a $300 a night nurse for 12 weeks solid just so she could get some rest, and the Williamsburg musician who shelled out 10 grand for soundproofing in his apartment. Coming to SoHo this summer: a Sleep Studio shop full of expensive scented candles and  sheets and teas, because “The brand understands that sleep and dreaming are fundamental, intimate and personal.” And why not a luxury item, while we’re at it?

Sleep aids are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S. — with upward of 60 million prescriptions a year, despite warnings about their safety. Americans are also, funnily enough, the biggest consumers of coffee on earth. We point to sleep deprivation as a cause of weight gain. We argue that the eight-hour, uninterrupted snooze is an artificial, unnecessary construct, and we study the link between sleep and emotional well-being. And a PsychCentral story this week pointed to sleep loss as a cause of everything from higher stress to impaired memory to poor socialization.

In a world that never shuts down, where something interesting is always going on and somewhere, an email is always waiting to be answered, we fetishize our sleep, in a love-hate I-crave-you-I-don’t-need-you bad romance. We fight it; we pursue it, like children going down for a nap but not without a struggle. Yet ultimately, the sandman always wins. When the news broke that Margaret Thatcher had died, the press was quick to note that the end had come peacefully. And that she had been in bed at the time.

Mary Elizabeth Williams

Mary Elizabeth Williams is a staff writer for Salon and the author of "Gimme Shelter: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream." Follow her on Twitter: @embeedub. More Mary Elizabeth Williams.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

 25 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
173 points174 points | 11 comments
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
75 points76 points | 24 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
93 points94 points | 14 comments
vote
James Clapper is still lying to America: A smoking gun shows Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is a big liar -- and it's not the first time
27 points28 points | comment
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
21 points22 points | comment

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows