Fiona hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in 22 years. It started when her parents got divorced. She was six, and the anxiety of watching their marriage fall apart manifested itself in long, sleepless nights. By her teens, it could be hours — three, four, sometimes more — before she fell asleep, and when she did finally drop off, it was in valueless half-hour stints through what was left of the night. She thought it would stop as she approached her twenties. It never did. “The worst part was finally getting into a deep sleep, only to have the alarm ring minutes later,” she says.
For anyone who hasn’t experienced insomnia, it’s near-impossible to imagine the frustration and pain of not being able to get a good night’s sleep. Once upon a time, we thought throwing whale music, scientifically proportioned pillows and hypnotizing aids at the problem would help. It didn’t. As a culture, few of us have understood the true value of deep sleep. For decades we fetishized those power figures — such as Margaret Thatcher, Steve Jobs and Marissa Mayer — who claimed to need only four hours’ of shut-eye a night. Not any more. Sleep is now one of the most studied health conditions in the medical world (in 2O17 the Nobel Prize in Physiology Medicine went to three scientists who figured out the gene responsible for regulating our circadian rhythms), with disrupted sleep now thought to be connected to everything from obesity to cancer.
This story is from the January 2020 edition of ELLE Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2020 edition of ELLE Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Girl Power
K-pop group STAYC embodies a "Teenfresh" appeal that sends an uplifting message of self-love and authenticity. We caught up with the six-girl band right after their concert in Singapore in this ELLE Singapore exclusive.
To The Château!
Roger Vivier melds classic heritage with contemporary flair for its spring/summer 2024 collection.
On The Road
TISSOT's new PR516 chronograph is a great gift for when your significant other has been a good boy.
Dancing With V-Reality
Creative visionary Blanca Li brings together dance, technology and fashion in a one-of-a-kind virtual reality live performance show-CHANEL couture included.
Destination VUITTON
Louis Vuitton transforms its new Bangkok store into an immersive lifestyle destination and multifaceted luxury experience.
ON THE Scent
The nose is a peculiar thing; fickle, peculiar, and hard to please. But when a delightfully enchanting scent radiates through the air, we can't help but follow its lead. Here are some fragrances that have us bewitched.
IN Conversation
Can poetry and romance thrive in our fast-paced digital age with three-second attention spans? Charmaine Ho finds out through her chat with Van Cleef & Arpels president and CEO Nicolas Bos that they can-and they have.
To the MOON and BACK
Omega's new Constellation Meteorite collection delivers piece of the universe into your hands.
Mass Attraction
From her trailblazing stint at Chloé to designing for Japanese retailer UNIQLO, Clare Waight Keller shows us why she's still a powerhouse to be reckoned with. Here, she shares with us her design philosophy and the power of inclusivity.
Becoming Yoyo
Style savant Yoyo Cao has done much to put Singapore on the fashion map and she's only getting started. She tells ELLE Singapore about always looking forward, and celebrating her official decade as @yoyokulala this September.