First, let us acknowledge that sleep is good. It is essential, although scientists do not rightly know why; along with ‘how does a moving bicycle stay upright?’ and ‘why do we yawn?’, this is a mystery that science still can’t explain yet. Some purported that sleeping places the body into a ‘restorative stage’—cortisol levels lower; growth hormone is released by the pituitary gland; your immune system lets loose cytokines that fight infections, and so on.
In a painting called ‘The Nightmare’ by Henry Fuseli, a woman is asleep on the bed while an ape-like creature —an incubus—sits on her stomach, and a horse (or a mare, if you will) looks on. These interlopers are the titular nightmares, but these days nightmares take on the more accurate current representation of the plagues of modern living.
There’s this persistent sentiment, that upwardly mobile ethos of ‘sleeping less and doing more’. We look to the sleeping habits of highly successful people like Indra Nooyi, chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, who sleeps five hours a day; and talk show host Steve Harvey who espouses that if you want to be rich, you’ll need to sleep less. People see sleep as a trade-offfor success.
This story is from the April 2021 edition of Esquire 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 April 2021 edition of Esquire 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
THE MILD HANGOVER
Hangovers get a bad rap. We know. If you’ve gotten this far in the magazine, you’ve surely divined that we’re mildly hungover most of the time.
AN ELECTRIC FUTURE
Polestar, the minimalist electric Swedish car brand, turns the voltage up on its competition.
LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON
Royalty, shopping, the best tea and scones the world has to offer, and a lifestyle worthy of what you're working for. Here's why London is ripe for your next investment
NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA
As Co-founder of the events and talent agency Collective Minds and Managing Director of the Mandala Masters, Zaran Vachha is definitely not new to the culture scene, but he's certainly shaping what comes next.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED...
I DON’T WEAR SOCKS except in January.
The Body Is a Language
A bad handshake is such a turnoff; we feel irked when someone rolls their eyes at us; we can't stop pacing when we're nervous-ever wondered how certain body language has the power to change how we feel instantly? We explore why.
EYE OF THE TIGER
Hailing from Singapore, Japan and Brazil respectively, Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes Darren Goh, Hiroki Akimoto and Alex Silva are proof that the ring demands as much from mind as it does from matter.
THE ADONIS COMPLEX
With the rise of superhero culture making a return and bringing with it the celebration of the classically ‘masculine’ body type, can men really overcome the pressure to conform when culture keeps getting in the way?
FUNNY BUT TRUE
A comedian, an iconic Singaporean, and now a man much evolved. After overcoming two years of pandemic limbo, unlocking career milestones one after another and undergoing a life-defining physical transformation, Rishi Budhrani is ready to emerge into the world renewed-and anew.
LIKE NO OTHER
With its horological triumphs, Hermès has truly come into its own as a watchmaking maison. In this exclusive interview with Esquire Singapore, CEO of Hermès Horloger, Laurent Dordet sheds some light on his timepieces' rising stardom and the importance of being different.
