After trying to quieten my ever-buzzing mind, I finally drift off around 2am. Six hours later, my alarm shakes me awake. I check my phone apps, my face bathed in blue light. The first thing I read is that this is the hottest September since records began. I open my laptop, a few metres away from my bed, also streaming blue light, and begin the work day. There are bangs and shouts on either side of me, and also from above. The house I live in was originally built for an entire family, but now it has been cut in half to fit more people into less space. My partner tries to sleep in, before getting up and preparing for her late-night DJ set. She will get back at 4am tonight, a podcast streaming into her ears, both of us desperate for a few hours’ slumber. Then it all starts over again.
Sleep in 2023 has become a hot commodity. We are told, constantly and sternly, that we need to sleep, or else our health will suffer. Our lives will be cut short. Our potential diminished. And yet, modern life — in the city, especially — is not built for a good night’s sleep. Noise comes from all directions. We’re plugged in and stimulated, our attention spans gripped by TikTok, YouTube, headlines about crumbling concrete and new strains of virus. We’re often given 25 days of holiday in a year of 365, with our work emails only a tap away at weekends, meaning that it’s difficult to get any true rest. We might get to kick back twice a week, but it’s not enough for our brains and bodies to truly unwind before snapping back to the grind.
