Sleep deprived?

Complaining about lack of sleep is a staple of modern social interaction. In fact, on campus it has become nothing short of a socialized ritual.

The scene: the Ballantine Cafe.

Student approaches Student One, as One makes some gesture (insert yawning, rubbing of eyes or resting head on hand as you choose). Student Two, noticing the signal responds appropriately:

“Wow, you look tired. How much sleep did you get last night?”

Happy to share the evidence of his chivalrous self-deprivation, One responds, “Only five hours.”

Student Two nods his head sympathetically and concedes, “Yeah, you must be exhausted.” Then, as ritual dictates, Student One responds, “How much sleep did you get last night?”

Two responds coyly, “Oh, you know, only four hours.” Student One cowers.

Recognizing that he has been one-upped, he slinks away, the lesson learned. Out of shame he stays up even later the next night.

Exaggeration? OK. But it is not an exaggeration to say that sleep-deprived is in. Tired is the new chic.

Yet even for all of the discussion, a new study out of the University of Maryland suggests Americans were getting more sleep in 2005 than they were in 2000. This study flies in the face of the much-touted “Sleep in America” poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation.

The difference between the two polls is that the Maryland poll measured people’s sleep directly, while the National Sleep Foundation asked people to estimate how much sleep that they got. This suggests that Americans often report that they slept less than they actually did.

It seems the problem is not that Americans are collectively not getting lots of sleep, but rather we are glorifying the practice of not sleeping.

To be sleep-deprived is to be busy, to be efficient, to be making a contribution. We champion the non-sleepers because they are making a difference. They are the great sleep-martyrs, sacrificing themselves one hour at a time for the greater good.

Starbucks has made an entire multi-million dollar franchise off of our collective narcolepsy, and the makers of caffeinated gum (yes, they do make caffeinated gum) understand the phenomenon.

But at some point the line must be drawn. It is appropriate that in a time  where BlackBerries allow e-mails to pervade every aspect of our lives, we would start letting work affect our health also.

That is not to say that getting too little sleep is anything new. I’m sure throughout time people have worked just as hard and stayed up just as late, but the thing that is disconcerting is the extent to which sleep deprivation has become not only standard, but respectable.

We are a society that values the immediate benefit over the long-term cost. Passing on shut-eye to finish that finite homework is often an easy decision to make, but the long-term health effects are staggering.

So out of concern for our health down the road, we should spend less time patting ourselves on the back over how tired/busy we are and save a little more time for the most underappreciated health requirement: a good night’s sleep.