Fighting Sleep-deprivation Culture as a Catholic Woman

Fighting Sleep-deprivation Culture as a Catholic Woman

BY DR. CARLEARA WEISS, Ph.D., MSH, RN

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” ( M A T T H E W 11:28-30)

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ow many of us have read or heard this before? Jesus sends us a clear message that we will find rest in Him. For some, this may refer to eternal life and forever rest in Christ. But, while living on “this side of heaven,” shall we ever rest?

The Lord rested on the seventh day because His work was done, and He took time to contemplate creation. As His children, we should rest, too. However, we live in a 24/7 society built on scarcity and on-demand services. Everything from hospitals to airports to fast food chains is operational nonstop. Work emails arrive at 2:00am with an answer needed by 7:00am. Overnight delivery is available for medication or that cute calendar you bought online. Our workdays are longer, and vacation and paid time off are shorter, if existent. We are lucky to have a job, even if that means no breaks and no time to rest.

As a Black Latina woman, I inherited the non-resting culture from a young age. Our low-income family depended on my single mom working two jobs. I cannot recall if my mother ever took a sick or personal day to rest, even if she was ill. As a teacher, she used the school vacation to work double hours at her side-job as a hairdresser. The extra money she earned kept me 12

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in a private school and led me to college. Working through sickness, headaches, and heartbreaks with no time for rest was the modus operandi in our house. We wore exhaustion as a badge of accomplishment. We accepted fatigue as the pathway to a better life. Despite observing my family history of cardiovascular disorders associated with poor sleep and being a sleep scientist and clinician, I had to reconcile myself to the belief that we will rest when we die. I reminded myself that my worth is not measured by exhaustion but by attending Jesus’ call through my work, family, and community, which can only be accomplished with a well-rested body.

The system is hard to resist because working 24-hour shifts, nights, and weekends helped me afford the life I have now.

Getting caught up in the non-resting cycle is easy, and skipping sleep is the first expense we pay to afford a living. Still, sleep-deprivation culture contributes to increased health disparities among racially minoritized and low-income communities.

As a society, we learn that work edifies us, builds character and wealth, and provides our families with the life they deserve.

We are keenly aware that work is necessary to make money and pay bills. Thus, I worked two jobs as a full-time college student and did 24-hour shifts as a clinician while getting my master’s degree. I remember collapsing on top of my books on Sundays, my only day off. I remember spending more time sleeping than enjoying my first vacation after three years. I also remember how I got sick after completing a series of sleep studies that secured me the best research award and grant funding—and the amount of praise I received for working hard “no matter what.”

But unfortunately, being praised for sleep deprivation is unhealthy and can trap all of us.

Our exhaustion gets rewarded, but that should not be the norm. Our society emphasizes Martha cooking and cleaning non-stop, rather than Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet, savoring His

presence and wisdom. Women endure the journey of raising children, working inside and outside the house with little to no sleep, and being the family caregiver with no time for themselves. It’s a selfless work of love, but it also makes our women physically and mentally sick. A tired mom is praised as a good mom, while it should be a call to rethink maternity leave, worklife balance, and community arrangements. Those issues concern racial and ethical minorities, as structural racism labels our attempt to rest as laziness.

Sleep is the cornerstone of health, designed to allow physical and mental recovery. Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night to achieve optimal restoration. Despite the common belief that our body is put “on hold” during sleep, our physio1 2 3 logical functions , metabolism , and hormones , perform intense work to keep us healthy. Similarly, our brain is highly active in 3 promoting learning and memory consolidation as we sleep . In addition, recent research shows sleep’s vital role in emotions and psychiatric disorders, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Lastly, short sleep duration (fewer than six hours) among 50 and 60-year-old persons has been associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Despite the critical role of sleep in our well-being, one in three adults in America is sleep deprived. The consequences of suboptimal sleep can range from a higher risk of type-2 diabetes, dementia, obesity, and cancer to work-related injuries and car accidents. Sleep is vital, but it is also a privilege. The dramatic effects of sleep deprivation are worse among racial and ethnic minorities and low-income communities. Multiple studies demonstrate that African Americans and Latinos sleep 1

Photo © sixteen-miles-out, Unsplash

Tahmasian, M., Samea, F., Khazaie, H. et al. The interrelation of sleep and mental and physical health is anchored in grey-matter neuroanatomy and under genetic control. Commun Biol 3, 171 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-0892-6 2 Leproult, R. & Van Cauter, E. Role of sleep and sleep loss in hormonal release and metabolism. Endocr. Dev. 17, 11–21 (2010).

3 Tononi, G. & Cirelli, C. Sleep function and synaptic homeostasis. Sleep. Med. Rev. 10, 49–62 (2006)

approximately six hours per night, compared to seven to eight hours among white folks. Racial minorities and low-income communities bear an additional sleep burden, including housing insecurity, poor environmental conditions (electricity, heat, humidity), and violence.

Additionally, women are more likely to suffer from sleep deprivation and insomnia. In my research, geriatric and oncology patients experience worse sleep quality and poorer health consequences, especially those with low income or diverse backgrounds. My work focuses on promoting sleep to attain healthy aging. On multiple occasions, I witnessed less than ideal sleeping conditions: no insulation, heat, or ventilation; a sofa or chair that becomes bed at night; and sleeping five hours or less to work more.

What can we do as individuals to change our sleep-deprivation culture? First, we must follow Jesus’ example to rebuild ourselves. He gives us life abundantly, so scarcity cannot prevail. Honoring the natural process of sleep, and offering up a time to God, trusts His ability to provide us rest. Some small behavioral changes such as setting a bedtime routine, making time for prayer and meditation, avoiding electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime, and waking up at the same time every day are some of the suggestions I provide as a sleep scientist. As concerned members of society, we should advocate for work conditions that protect sleep and rest and fight structural racism and misogyny.

Ultimately, fighting the sleep-deprivation culture is a Catholic issue. “Behold, He who guards Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 122). The Lord watches over us, so we can rest and honor our bodies as the temples of the Holy Spirit they are.

Dr. Carleara Weiss, Ph.D., MSH, RN, has over fifteen years of experience as an adult-geriatric nurse specialist. She holds a Master in Science of Health Care and a Ph.D. in Nursing, focusing on behavioral sleep medicine and circadian rhythms.

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