Did you get a full good night’s sleep today?
If you slept at night (or usually sleep at night) then you are in majority. If you slept for sufficient time i.e. 6-8hrs at stretch, then you are still in majority. Now let’s pause for a bit and slice other possibilities. These are: sleeping during the day as against night, not sleeping at stretch and not sleeping enough.
Jonathan White, Professor at LSE, in his recent essay published in Aeon, writes, “When sleep is lacking or disrupted, and especially when these problems are unevenly spread, questions of justice arise….as people find themselves living at odds with the demands of their body and the norms of a wider society.”
He observes that although sleep is a need, it is a negotiable one. We are often ready to forego sleep giving others (and ourselves) scope to exploit our health. However, often, lack of alternatives leads to choices that impact sleep patterns. Even in the case of self-employed or freelancers, one has to work longer or at irregular hours. The current economic structure, such as BPO/KPO industries, Uberisation of goods and services, 24/7 business and commerce, pushes us to make these choices. We are tempted to get a job done or increase economic productivity by sacrificing our sleep. Such acts not only affect physical and mental health but also our socio-economic and political lives.
One can agree that these developments have improved our standard of living or comfort on one hand but have led to degradation of health, especially for those who work as delivery executives, Uber drivers, call centre staff, shift workers, etc. They are in the minority when it comes to sleeping patterns. The world is designed for those in the majority. Think of all the mainstream public services, educational institutions, primary healthcare facilities and their work times. Although it is impossible to reverse the benefits of the 24/7 international economy, embracing these inequalities and taking steps in directions that can minimise problems is a way forward.
Relationship between sleep and politics
What is the relationship between sleep and politics? Erich Fromm observed in Escape from Freedom (1941) that autocratic forms of politics thrive when people are in a state of inner tiredness. Erich highlighted Hitler’s capacity to manipulate people by playing on their exhaustion. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote, “It seems that in the morning and even during the day men’s willpower revolts with highest energy against an attempt at being forced under another’s will and another’s opinion. In the evening, however, they succumb more easily to the dominating force of a stronger will.” [Please remember this when the next time a leader announces something at, say, 8PM. Just saying!]
Any solutions?
What are the solutions? Some say that sleep should be protected legally. Some argue that the ‘right to disconnect’ legislation, proposed in the EU can aid in restricting work hours. Few organisations have been flexible in working hours post-Covid. 24/7 access to public institutions can help shift workers or people having irregular sleeping patterns. More national holidays can also regularise sleep. Some of these measures will not only improve health but also democratic participation. However, will the governments act on it? Jonathon is a bit sceptical. He writes, “A rested population, and everything needed to achieve it, maybe one of the lower priorities of governing officials, perhaps not even desired.”
Further, how can people with poor sleep get mobilised against this issue? He notes that usually there is nothing else common amongst the group except irregular sleep and hence it becomes difficult to voice these concerns. He concludes that such initiatives should probably come from the well-rested ones.
These conditions are not new. Karl Marx, in Capital, had dedicated an entire chapter to ‘The Working Day’. He criticised capitalism for labour exploitation. He wrote, “Capital cares nothing for the length of life of labour-power. All that concerns it is simply and solely the maximum of labour-power, that can be rendered fluent in a working day. It attains this end by shortening the extent of the labourer’s life…”
Although we have been seeing the dark side of capitalism for a very long time, I believe that there are new-age corporations that put people at the heart of businesses and try to balance profitability, employee well-being and pluralism. We need such attitude and empathy among the corporate leaders.
As a candidate, I have asked every interviewer about the work-life balance in the company and their approach to attaining the same. You can judge the leadership motivation around this based on the conviction in their response. If we can make these questions commonplace, we can expect small changes in attitude. Having said that, I don’t think there is any silver bullet until we prioritise our sleep or well-being.
What do you think? Write in the comments below.
– Swapnil Karkare
Further Reading & Listening:
Poor Sleep by Jonathon White published on Aeon
Economics of Sleep Podcast 1 and 2 by Freakonomics
The Economics of Sleep article on Sleepdex shows differences in sleeping patterns across demographic groups.
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