The 17th edition of Go Short has come to an end. However, this year’s captivating images and inspiring talks continue to live on in our hearts and minds. In this little series of afterthoughts, we therefore want to look back at a handful of particularly exciting debates brought to us by Go Short Reflections. We will delve into what plagues us, what haunts us, and what uses us.  In Go Short Reflections, creatives and experts came together to reflect on topics that matter – for example, lying awake at night.

The bed as a place of terror 

Trying to fall asleep can be as daunting as trying to fill a blank page. Just as the page awaits the writer with high expectations, the bed awaits the awake to do that one thing that should come naturally: fall asleep. Gradually, easily, and unnoticed, one should be able to drift into the darkness. Eyes closed, breathing steady, heart beating slow. 

Yet, for many people, falling asleep is neither gradual nor easy. Instead, it is a fight against a ticking clock, against thoughts that keep popping up, a heart that won’t stop racing, and eyelids that are fatigued but not sleepy. On top of that, loneliness creeps under the covers of the sleepless, as falling asleep can feel like a solitary struggle when the whole world feels dark, quiet, and, of course, asleep. In other words, the bed can be a true place of terror. 

Sleepless nights, troubled days 

However, despite people tossing and turning alone in their beds, sleeplessness is by no means an individual struggle. In fact, the number of people who lie awake is increasing: in the Netherlands, 1 in 10 people suffers from insomnia, which means they experience sleepless for at least three nights per week for over three months. 

The consequences of insomnia can be severe for our well-being. According to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, chronic sleep deprivation is linked to a decreased quality of life. Insomnia can, for instance, harm people’s physical and social functioning, their vitality, and their mental health. Thus, insomnia is more than an individual’s night problem. Instead, an increasing number of people suffer from its daytime consequences. In other words, sleeplessness has become a societal problem – and a political one too. 

The politics of sleep 

Authors like Simon J. Williams (The Politics of Sleep, 2011) argue that sleep is political through and through: Today, we live in a fast-paced, efficiency-driven, and work-dominated society. For many of us, this means that life itself seems to be accelerating. We feel busy, pressured to complete more tasks in less time, and, since the Internet age and globalization, we are bombarded with constant streams of information and technologies. According to Williams, these developments leave us feeling wired – and awake. Thus, sleeplessness can be understood as a symptom of the wired world. 

However, it is not just that our fast-paced society causes sleeplessness, but it also glorifies it. For instance, in political culture, sleep deprivation is treated as a sign of drive, devotion to the cause, and dedication. Sleep, on the other hand, is seen as for ‘wimps’. In other words, we live in a society that doesn’t prioritize sleep and might even hinder us from sleep. So, how can we fall asleep in a society that wants us awake and wired? 

Restrict your sleep 
If you find yourself restlessly in bed and you cannot fall asleep, one of the most effective methods to combat your sleeplessness is sleep restriction. In other words, van de Laar suggests that one should lie in bed for a shorter amount of time to combat sleeplessness. For instance, go to bed at midnight and set your alarm for 5:00 in the morning. If you do this for several nights, you will feel more and more tired and build up a “sleep hunger.” As a result, your body will crave sleep. This craving for sleep will make it easier to fall asleep and sleep through the night. After a couple of weeks of sleep restriction, 80 to 85% of people experience an improvement in sleep, argues van de Laar. 

Don’t check the clock
According to Merijn van de Laar, by checking the clock adds an average of 20 minutes to the time it takes to fall asleep. The reason for the clock being a sleep-killer is that once we look at the time ticking, we start calculating: how many hours do I have left before I have to get up again? Through this calculation, our mind becomes more active, and that leads to us moving further away from sleep. 

And finally, don’t sweat it 
The final tip from van de Laar is to try not to stress about sleeping: by getting too fixated on “the perfect night of sleep,” a good night’s rest is likely to be hampered. Therefore, we should let go of our worries and expectations about sleep to actually sleep better. 

Sleep well... ;-)

This article was written by Jara Majerus