The Anthropology of Sleeping

The idea of fighting exhaustion and working into the early hours of the morning personally sounds like a terrifying plot for a horror film. Why on earth would you wait until the end of the day to complete important tasks? Ticking responsibilities off the list at dawn is a far more rational approach. This way you can spend the evenings with your mind at ease, lazing on the couch, drinking tea and watching the latest Netflix series.

Neither a self-help book nor a motivational internet personality catalysed my 5:30 am routine because honestly, I can’t even remember it being a routine I had to implement. It is more of a habit, and on the nights when insomnia does not keep my mind racing and my eyes wide, it is one I am fortunate to have.

Perhaps the countless times I was woken by the sound of my mother using her screeching coffee machine to froth milk for her pre-work brew catalysed my, now, natural wake-up time? Or maybe it started when I worked as a vineyard hand, which demanded an early start to ensure the fruit was picked when it was cold to retain its freshness. God only knows, but honestly, it doesn’t even matter. Nevertheless, for a very long time, I thought those who intentionally stayed awake late were out of their bloody mind.

If I had grown up in a family that ate dinner at 7:30 pm and went to bed at 10 pm rather than one that ate at 5:30 pm and was in bed by 8:30 pm, chances are, I would wake up later. If I had spent my late adolescence working in a restaurant instead of on a vineyard, chances are, I would wake up later. Who gives a damn what time you get up. Choose a sleep schedule that works for you. Science may say rising with the sun knocks your circadian rhythm into place, but you must ask yourself, is rising with the sun practical if you work the night?

Anyway, my past prejudice towards those who prefer late nights over early mornings was supposed to be the hook for an article about anthropology and its relationship with journalism, not a rant about my opinion that an optimal sleep schedule is non-existent. I intended this to analogise that our unique norms, values and behaviours were manifested during socialisation to adulthood. No one is the same, so when a journalist reports to the general public, they are reporting to a group of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Journalists must not forget this.