Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Underling are driving government takeovers with a “hardcore” work ethic that sacrifices lying down for a 24-hour crush.
Musk boasted that they were working long hours, even over the weekend, as their “enemies” take that time. They moved the sofa beds to the offices of HR and other government agencies. One of the sellers of the trendy “sleep pod” had generously sent their products to masks and his team, hoping to help them catch some precious Zzz.
This is an old-fashioned Silicon Valley mentality, focusing on absolute time commitment over everything else. The image of musk hiding in a federal office building evokes his story of sleeping on the floor of a Tesla factory. The culture of the bustle of Silicon Valley is filled with legends of the company founders and their henchmen who sleep at their desks for days trying to crack important issues on their way to glory. This is the culture that we have sought for years to “hack” sleep, for example, by practicing breaking sleep into bite-sized parts throughout the day, rather than just one big chunk of the night.
Some House Republicans suggest that there is something to learn from Capitol Hill, the federal government as a whole, and in general, this enthusiastic work ethic. The pandemic-led heyday of remote work has come to an end. Business executives from various industries encourage workers to come to the office, and generally encourage them to prioritize the Muschia spirit above all else.
But this fetishization of hardcore, sleepless mentality rubs against what the majority of research advises: we need it more Sleep – Not that much. The modern world makes it difficult to get a good night's rest. The lack of quality sleep affects our short-term cognitive and physical abilities as well as the long-term prognosis of fatal diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
The medical research here is clear. It's not better to endure 5 or 6 hours of sleep while grinding. I need more.
The challenge is to figure out how to get these 8 hours, whether you're overhauling federal bureaucracy or simply trying to become your best self.
Why do our brains need to sleep?
The modern eight-hour standard took shape in parallel with the Industrial Revolution when more people began to portray clearly drawn schedules, the famous nine-five shifts. Electricity has also become more common, releasing people from sleep schedules determined by natural light. Medical professionals have begun to recognize the value of long and consistent sleep.
More recent studies have added some nuances, with some people getting enough rest from seven hours of sleep, while others need it like nine for natural genetic differences It indicates that there is. However, the standard was set. And it naturally left an emerging group of sleep scientists wondering what would have happened if people didn't get enough rest.
William Dement began recording brain patterns during sleep in the 1950s, unlocking an approach that allows researchers to see changes in brain activity that can explain why sleep and its absence have different effects. He attended an attempt to break the Guinness World Records by spending the most time spent without sleep in the early 1960s (it was 11 days). As the head of the first professional medical association dedicated to sleep science, he oversaw basic research assessing lack of sleep and the behavioral changes it caused.
Dement helped identify REM sleep patterns and their value, sleep apnea, or periods of interrupted breathing that could interfere with sleep. He and other scientists began recording sleep-deprived people slipping into what is later called “microsleep,” a short period of unintentional sleep that contributes to workplace accidents and errors. .
In the last 21st century, researchers have discovered biological mechanisms that could explain these effects. Studies have shown that lack of sleep reduces activity in the prefrontal cortex (the cause of decision-making) and in the hippocampus (where our memories are stored).
A small study of beginner software engineers found that coding suffers from low sleep. The doctor who ran a mobile clinic for high-tech workers told Fortune he discovered that many of his patients had biological ages beyond their actual age.
Research published over the past decade shows that people who don't get enough sleep control their emotions, feel sick, and have a lower relationship with others. Neurological examinations showed that the amygdala (which processes emotions) increased activity when people are deprived of sleep.
The rest of your body also needs the rest. Medical researchers have linked heart disease to inadequate sleep. When I interviewed an oncologist last year and heard the best hypothesis on why more young people are developing cancer, some of them suffered from lack of sleep as a risk factor that needs to be better understood. I've quoted it. In general, we already know that lack of sleep can reduce efficiency in the immune system.
Elon Musk himself admitted that these infamous sleep habits are not good for him, and as his old routine gave him “brain pain,” he was about to become about six hours a night a night. He said he was there. Unfortunately, his reported use of drugs, including ketamine, is associated with poor sleep, and his tweet patterns make him suspect that he is suddenly getting more sleep It will give you. The grind continues at DC now.
It's fair to wonder if that's an impact for crews who boast sleep schedules. Doge's 120-hour work literally doesn't leave enough time for eight hours of sleep.
Whether it was incompetent, fatigued or more creepy, other outlets were already tackling sloppy operational security, careless disclosure of classified information, and important issues like nuclear safety and birds Important government staff report firing rapid rehiring of influenza crisis. One hilarious case, Doge claimed he saved $8 billion to American taxpayers when he actually saved $8 million. It appears that Doge's crew is stacking decks to create more risk. latest? The Trump administration is dumping thousands of IRS workers when tax season kicks into gear.
Bringing lots of sleep pods into the White House was, in a way, an acknowledgment that it was not possible to hack long, uninterrupted sleep. Think of the name of a sleep pod company (8 sleeps) powered by AI that provided a $4,600 bed for Musk and his team. Eight hours of sleep is still my goal. Mark Zuckerberg and Lifehacker's extraordinary Brian Johnson are also fans of those pods. Jeff Bezos, who is also approaching this inner circle of the Trump Tech Brothers, has long advocated good sleep as a key element of success.
This culture, once thought that it could take shortcuts around overnight sleep, conveys that it has evolved to try and achieve that eight hours as efficiently as possible. It should also be noted that these pods received rave reviews from colleagues saying “Smart Sleep is worth the cost.” Because sleep is really worth it.
The problem the pod is trying to solve is that it's harder to get 8 hours on your own than ever before. Light contamination from our devices makes us worse. That artificial light disrupts our circadian rhythm. The DOUMSCROLLING we tend to do with these devices is bad for sleep too. What a surprise.
That's not to say that we all need to buy a $4,600 bed. There are easier steps you can take to achieve a better night's rest. Create a set routine. This includes cleaning up the device before closing your eyes. Don't eat or drink too much before going to bed, or avoid meth. There are also tips for purchasing a mattress from Vox. And recently, Jonquilyn Hill spoke with sleep psychologist Jade Wu. Please explain it to me Podcast. WU stressed that it is particularly important for getting a quality sleep and is about to be exposed to a lot of light to start a circadian clock in the morning, committing to a set routine.
People of all ages should also be aware of sleep apnea and ask their doctor if there are any risk factors or other reasons to suspect that apnea is disrupting rest. Your wearable may be approved to track whether you are showing signs of apnea. Companies are developing increasingly less intrusive devices to manage their condition and reduce both the long-term and short-term risks it presents.
