Masculinity and sleep deprivation |
It’s no longer secret that the majority of men in our society don’t sleep enough. In reality, most men suffer from sleep deprivation. According to a Penn State study, economics and culture might have contributed to a dangerously overworked and sleep-deprived sector of American labour force.
Men make enormous sacrifices for their families in order to make ends meet. They frequently put the needs of their family before their own, skipping food and sleep. Working men face higher workloads, work pressure, and deadlines , all of which threaten the quality of their sleep.
Furthermore, due to certain ideals of toxic masculinity, some men perceive sleep as squandered time that keeps them from doing any task. According to the research published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research(2021), men who sleep less are viewed as being more manly while men who suffer from sleep deprivation are also viewed favourably by society. The association between masculinity and sleep deprivation intensified as society became more industrialized.
It’s very common to hear some men say thing like, “Last night, I didn’t slept at all”. Obviously, they aren’t complaining. They’re just boasting about their ability to skip sleep.
Many of these smug, sleep-deprived braggarts love to brag about how they can work all night long. The situation has not been made any better by managers, celebrities, or preachers- who often wear and flaunt their poor sleeping habits like a badge of honor.
Celebs and company executives constantly bombard us with motivating speeches, taking great pride in boasting in interviews that they only get 4 or 5 hours of sleep per night. In most workplaces, you will certainly receive a rebuke from supervisors and the label “sluggard” by your peers for getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.
The rise of the cult of Sleep machismo
The quest of wealth and prestige has continue to captivate large audiences of men, who enthusiastically devour television shows, documentaries, books, and online content showcasing business and political leaders who work too hard and sleep too little.
According to a survey, over half of all CEOs sleep less than six hours every night,— entrepreneurs in the formative stages of a venture are suffering even more.
Jack Dorsey, the founder and CEO of Twitter, allegedly slept for about four to six hours each night in 2011. Herb Kelleher, a co-founder of Southwest Airlines,while he was in charge, reportedly slept for only four hours per night .
Bill Clinton, the former US president, joined the ranks of sleepless leaders when he boasted during his first presidential campaign that he only needed four hours of sleep per night.
Another former US President Donald Trump on numerous occasions boasted about averaging less than four hours of sleep per night and frequently derogates his then political rival Joe Biden by referring him as “Sleepy Joe.”
Even great leaders in history who are known for their exploits are said to have slept little.
Napoleon’s famous advice about sleep is, “Six hours for a man, seven for a lady, and eight for a fool.”
Thomas Edison is said to have gotten three to four hours each night, while Benjamin Franklin only got five. Statesmen like Lech Walesa and Winston Churchill were all respected for the few hours of sleep they received.
The list is endless.
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This attitude has given rise to a culture of “sleep machismo”—a culture that implicitly condones and even celebrates sleep deprivation as a display of mental power, determination, and perseverance. Many men have been seduced by the impression that getting too little sleep makes them tougher or more macho.
The term “sleep machismo” was first used by renowned chronobiologist Dr. Charles Czeisler in a 2006 Harvard Business Review article. According to Dr. Czeisler, “sleep machismo” refers to the celebration of the machismo of the sleep-deprived, the value of sleep loss over sleep, and the elevation of all activities above the fundamental need for sleep.
Most men suffer as a result of exposure to unrealistic male stereotypes that promote sleep deprivation, especially among adolescents. Men who sleep less are positively reinforced in in schools,in organizations and society at large, despite the fact that this practice has a considerable negative impact on both their physical and mental health.
I concur with Tom Hodgkinson when he observed that most people are unaware of how the powerful have tricked them into a macho culture around sleep. Hodgkinson is the editor of The Idler, a London publication that extols the benefits of relaxing.
Instead of seeing sleep as a biological necessity, most men now view sleep as a disposable luxury. Every other day, we decide to put off going to bed so that we can watch our favourite movie, browse the net, respond to one more e-mail, or meet our unending deadlines. While this is going on, we are building up sleep debt, which carries severe consequences similar to financial debt.
Sleep deprivation is detrimental to men’s health
Some men think that you must be hard on yourself and make certain sacrifices in order to achieve success in life or move up the organizational ladder. To them, the most extreme case of this sacrifice is working all night, which entails going the entire evening without sleep. At first glance, staying up late may seem advantageous because it gives you more time to work. Many men today suffer from chronic sleep deprivation to the point that they are unable to discern the signs of sleep deprivation and may even start to think that their condition is normal. But, this trend is bad because it has a negative impact on men’s mental agility, mindset, and general health.
Numerous studies show that heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, erectile dysfunction and obesity are just a few of the major health issues that are associated with sleep deprivation.
According to studies, sleep deprivation can make driving as dangerous as drinking.
The US National Highway Administration attributes sleepiness to more than 1,000 fatalities and 100,000 auto accidents each year.
In practice, your most beneficial daily activity is sleeping. You’ll get a higher return on everything else you do if you put more effort into getting enough sleep. When we sleep well ,we are more productive, more creative, make better decisions, and live our lives with greater pleasure and delight.
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Good sleep is nature’s cheapest and most beneficial therapy.
Although sleep requirements differ from individual to individual, doctors recommend that a man requires 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Good night sleep boosts your energy, makes it easier to deal with stress, and enhances general well-being.
Modern men are the most worn-out, overworked, and under-rested in history.
Not getting enough sleep is detrimental to your health, appearance, and overall productivity. According to studies, having adequate sleep on a regular basis can help with a wide range of problems, including your blood sugar.
Again, the likelihood of developing a mood disorder is also increased by a continuous lack of sleep. In addition, having insomnia increases your risk of anxiety or panic disorders and depression by five times.
According to research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, those who habitually sleep six to seven hours per night are twice as likely to be involved in a collision as people who typically receive at least eight hours. According to the study, if you get less than five hours of sleep, your chances of being involved in a road accident quadruple.
In an interview David Dinges the director of the Unit for Experimental Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine opines that if you are sleep deprived your prefrontal cortex’s capacity to function may be compromised. This will intensify stress reactions and exacerbate negative emotional states, which might result in major blunders and mistakes.
The vast majority of scientific sleep studies demonstrate that lack of sleep increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and death.
But as important as sleep is to how well we function at work, it’s a tragedy that men often undervalue it. I have met men who view sleep as a waste of time—a period of inactivity. Many are just unaware that they require more sleep. They see a their sleep deprivation as a sign that they are being productive. But what they fail to realize is that sleep deprivation is a very serious health issue that can shorten ones life.
Do you know that you can think, feel, and function well when you get enough sleep.
What is the way forward
The key is reversing this trend is simple:
1) We need to promote at the advantages of having enough sleep by debunking the false notion of masculinity linked to sleeping less.
2) We need to give men the tools and guidance they need to seek help when in need.
3) We need to offer more comprehensive but exclusive treatment and counseling plan, to address the underlying issues that may be aggravating sleep deprivation among men.