Is our modern "always-on" culture actually a public health crisis?
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Apr 15, 2026
12:55
I’ve been thinking a lot about how our relationship with rest has degraded over the last few decades. Remember when "burning the midnight oil" was something you only did during true emergencies? Now, with smartphones and global work schedules, it feels like we’re expected to be reachable 24/7. Scientific research on the glymphatic system and memory consolidation during sleep is more robust than ever, yet we seem to be sleeping less as a society. Do you think we’ll ever reach a point where countries mandate a "right to disconnect" to protect our biological need for sleep, or is the 24/7 economy just our new permanent reality?