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The Futurist's Guide to Sleeping Better

Writer's picture: GrahamGraham

Updated: Jan 29


How much sleep did you get last night?


Around one-third of people don't get enough sleep, and so wake up in a dark mood that stays with them all day. Coffee can cover up some of the cracks but can't replace the restorative powers of a good night's sleep.


At a surface level, poor sleep can simply be a drag, sapping your motivation during the day, but it's also been associated with cognitive impairment, anxiety and depression. Worse than that, those who are more chronically sleep deprived are at greater risk of diabetes, stroke and heart diseases.


When it's your own health at risk, missing sleep can seem justifiable, yet people also regularly drive cars, pilot planes, operate ships and maintain nuclear power stations on less sleep than they need. The result is some of the worse accidents in history, from the Exxon Valdez oil spill to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster.


In the U.K., a tram driver was filmed literally sleeping at the wheel during the morning rush hour just months after a serious accident on the same line attributed to a fatigued driver.


Sleeping seems the most natural thing in the world, so what goes wrong?


Some people may have sleep disorders or medical conditions that prevent them from sleeping well, but for many of us, the causes will be familiar and largely within your control:

  • going to bed at different times each night

  • watching TV or mobile phones just before bedtime

  • eating too much in the evening

  • drinking too much caffeine or alcohol

  • stress


The solutions might be simple enough: go to bed and wake up at the same times every day, don't snack in the evening, avoid messing around with your phone just before you're supposed to go to sleep.


Yet even I tell you this, you still won't do it.


That's because it's not really you who suffers, but rather your future self. 


When we're infants we develop self-concept, that we are distinct from the rest of the world. In particular, we develop an identity of how we see ourselves that is separate from other people.

Thinking about ourselves activates certain parts of the brain, while thinking about others activates other parts.


However, research shows that when we think about ourselves in the future, it activates the parts of the brain we use for other people, rather than ourselves. We literally see our future selves as other people, and we don't normally care about other people quite as much as we care about ourselves.


So the you of this evening, who wants to munch on Pringles as you watch TV late into the night, doesn't really care about the you of tomorrow who has to get up and drag themselves to work.


When you wake up in the morning, you might feel awful and hate the you of yesterday. But when it comes to TV time this evening, you will repeat the cycle.


So how to break the cycle and treat our future selves better?


By using a Ulysses Contract. In Greek mythology, Ulysses sailed his ship near the Sirens and wanted to hear what they sounded like. So he ordered his crew to strap him to the mast and to kill him if he managed to struggle free.


You don't need to be so extreme. A Ulysses Contract is simply a device that adds an element of pain to your current self so you'll treat your future self more kindly. Here are some examples: 


  1. Create a financial stake: Set up an arrangement with a trusted friend or use an app like Beeminder where you have to pay if you break your sleep commitments. For example, agree to send your friend $50 each time you stay up past your designated bedtime.

  2. Make your commitment public: Share your sleep goals on social media or with friends/family, specifying both your target bedtime and wake time. Social pressure can be a powerful motivator.

  3. Design environmental controls:

    1. Use smart plugs programmed to cut power to entertainment devices at your target bedtime

    2. Install apps that lock you out of distracting content after a certain hour

  4. Add positive reinforcement: Put money into a separate account at the start of each month. Allow yourself to spend it on something enjoyable only if you meet your sleep goals.

  5. Create barriers to breaking the contract:

    1. Keep your phone/devices in another room overnight

    2. Put your evening routine items (like pajamas and toiletries) in plain sight as visual reminders


In a duel, you will always favour your present self over your future self. But the future self is the one you have to live with. With a little help, you can both get along.


 

Want to be more futurist? Sign up for The DIY Futurist.

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