Ghazal is studying neuroscience in the medical program at Texas A&M University and has published research in international journals on the Internet of Things and Special Education, the neuroscience of meditation, and breast cancer.

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Ghazal Yadav

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<h4>
  <strong><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#673092">GHAZAL
      YADAV</mark> asks if we have been sleeping long enough and soundly enough. She explores the
    relationships between work-life balance, toxic productivity, FOMO, social media, and declining sleep quality
    around the world.</strong>
</h4>

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<p>It is no secret that sleep has slowly been pushed lower and lower on society’s priority list of needs. In the
  United States, adults average <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/166553/less-recommended-amount-sleep.aspx"
    target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">6.8 hours</a> of sleep, a stark difference from 1942, when the
  average was 7.9 hours. Sleep disorders are on the rise, and melatonin sales in the US have increased by almost
  <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28095978/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">500%</a>, with
  sales of 62 million USD in 2003 compared to 378 million USD in 2014.
</p>

<p>At the onset of 2023, many people probably added “sleeping more” to their New Year’s resolutions. As with many of
  the items on their list, however, this will be easy to give up quite early into the year. To truly reprioritize
  sleep in our lives, we need to examine the root of the problem: sleep is no longer considered a worthy need.</p>

<p>The concept of work-life balance has dramatically transformed over the past few decades. “Leaving work at work”
  and fully engaging in our personal lives when we’re at home seems like a distant privilege today. The advent of
  the smartphone has let work pressure seep into all hours of the day, and most people are expected to remain
  mentally clocked in after leaving work.</p>

<p>Despite the fact that we all face the repercussions of a perimeter-less workplace environment, the modern-day
  tendency to serve one’s self-interests pushes us to compete with one another and propagate the system, thus
  compounding the problem. Not only are we now bogged down by an eternal workload, but we feel obliged to cope
  with it alone. It is now the individual’s responsibility to run the career treadmill and compete, or accept
  defeat and fall behind. In today’s hypercompetitive environment, choosing to limit one’s ambitions is a death
  sentence.</p>

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  <figure><img decoding="async" alt="" class="has-img-center"
      src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Getting_better_sleep2_5c29d01618.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T10:51:00.644Z">
  </figure>
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<p>What has accompanied this shift in society’s perspective on work is a culture of toxic productivity. Harsh,
  quantity-driven output metrics now dictate how we spend our time. Life coaches, self-help books, media, etc.,
  all now emphasize how to squeeze out every last bit of work from one’s day, creating the illusion that without
  quantifiable results life has no inherent meaning. Even the paradox of relaxing productively is now a commonly
  accepted idea.</p>

<p>This is where the issue of sleep being of lesser importance stems from. Why sleep when we can spend the same time
  making more money? Why sleep when we can study harder? Why sleep when we can spend that time getting ahead of
  our peers?</p>

<p>Most college students, including myself, are familiar with the infamous <a
    href="https://thepolypost.com/opinion/2015/03/10/article_f5353dc8-c73a-11e4-9bb8-0fe126932886/" target="_blank"
    rel="noreferrer noopener">College Tripartite Triangle</a>. This is the idea that a student
  will only be able to attain two out of three main priorities: good grades, enough sleep, and a social life. It
  is ingrained in us from quite early on that there will never be a point of balance, and that we must sacrifice
  something in order to live the life we dream of.</p>

<p>Maintaining good academic standing is a non-negotiable priority for most, leaving the choice between sleep and
  socializing. The prevalence of low self-esteem and loneliness issues in this young adult age group makes
  students more susceptible to the fear of social exclusion, more colloquially known as the Fear of Missing Out.
  <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8283615/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FOMO</a>
  doesn’t just encompass the idea of missing out, but creates a sense of
  “compulsion to maintain social connections.” Naturally, with only 24 hours in the day, college students facing
  the Tripartite Triangle dilemma find it easiest to compromise on sleep.
</p>

<p>In this state of constant stress, social media is a convenient outlet. The ability to easily engage our mind in
  something so enticing that we forget our ongoing struggles creates a cycle of addiction. Social media has
  shifted from being a means of connection to a means of escapism. Moreover, it seems to solve the FOMO dilemma in
  that it offers the illusion of staying perpetually connected and up to date with what our peers are doing.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, social media use, especially to quench FOMO, can <a
    href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563213000800?via%3Dihub" target="_blank"
    rel="noreferrer noopener">affect sleep patterns</a>. Those with FOMO are more likely to check social media
  within 15 minutes of going to sleep. When coupled with the addictive nature of such apps, it is normal that
  usage extends into the late hours of the night.</p>

<p>Exposure to the blue light emitted by screens at such hours disrupts the production of melatonin. This hormone is
  integral to our sleep schedule, reducing alertness and signaling to our bodies that it is time to sleep. And in
  addition, continually stimulating the brain so late into the night makes it harder for the body to wind down.
  Such high levels of <a href="https://www.sleepstation.org.uk/articles/sleep-tips/social-media/" target="_blank"
    rel="noreferrer noopener">cognitive arousal</a>, especially when we are physiologically preparing to sleep,
  disrupt the sleep cycle.</p>

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<h4  class="has-text-align-center"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#2251a3">Prioritizing sleep is a crucial first step <br>to
    spending time at work more
    efficiently, <br>thus making it easier to engage in <br>meaningful social interactions and remain fully
    present <br>for our loved ones in the personal sphere of life.</mark></h4>
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  <figure>
    <img decoding="async" width="700" height="357" alt="" class="w-100"
      src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Getting_better_sleep3_8e00415d3c.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T10:53:17.128Z">
  </figure>
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<p>So, as you plan the changes you have decided to make in 2023, remember to evaluate what systems have prevented
  you from being able to achieve them until now. Take the time to pause, reflect, and reprioritize. Will you
  sacrifice sleep for the mirage of productivity? Will you let your fear of social exclusion prevent you from
  achieving balance in your life? Prioritizing sleep is a crucial first step to spending time at work more
  efficiently, thus making it easier to engage in meaningful social interactions and remain fully present for our
  loved ones in the personal sphere of life. In 2023, let’s make sleep high on our priority list.</p>

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<h4  class="has-text-align-center">Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4>
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Ghazal Yadav

Ghazal is studying neuroscience in the medical program at Texas A&M University and has published research in international journals on the Internet of Things and Special Education, the neuroscience of meditation, and breast cancer.

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