In a time when there are constant exhortations to work ever longer hours in the interests of — pick your poison — career advancement, company bottom line or national progress
Jan 24, 2025 07:45 IST First published on: Jan 24, 2025 at 07:45 IST
Recent news from around the world would suggest that sleep, if not actively in danger, is at the very least a vestigial habit that productivity-conscious humans can be trained to manipulate or resist. A businessman from Japan has made headlines for claiming to sleep for only 30 minutes a night for 12 years in the interest of “high efficiency”. Not too long ago, the California-based company REMSpace sought to harness the power of dreams to enhance productivity. High-achievers, especially, love talking about how much sleep they’re getting, or not getting — like when Apple CEO Tim Cook famously tweeted, “Got some extra rest for today’s event. Slept in ’til 4:30”. Where does this leave the ordinary person who just wants to give her body the rest it needs?
The example of actor Akshay Kumar may be the one to emulate. In an interview, his colleague Vivek Oberoi has commended Kumar’s discipline in the matter of hitting the hay, saying that he sticks to his early-to-bed habits even when he has dinner guests. Kumar has brushed off his colleague’s observation — the conventions of hosting remain unaffected, he said. But perhaps he need not be so defensive. It is a well-documented fact that good, deep sleep for the recommended average of seven hours a night is the surest way to ensure that one’s body and brain are performing at their best, at work and at play. And if hosting duties interfere with slumber’s siren call, they are best given short shrift.
In a time when there are constant exhortations to work ever longer hours in the interests of — pick your poison — career advancement, company bottom line or national progress, examples like Kumar’s serve as a corrective. And those who insist on looking for “workflow optimisation” in even the most basic of biological functions should remember: Sleep may not primarily be a productivity hack, but it could well be the best one.
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