Sleepless in America: And That's No (Red) Bull

Breakpoint with Chuck Colson ^ | 1/16/2008 | Mark Earley

[Mr. Silverback]

Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley.

From Starbucks, to Red Bull, to No-Doz, Americans are showing signs of addiction to caffeine. Sixty percent of us drink a cup of coffee a day. On average we will drink 52 gallons of soda this year. And Starbucks—they get a whopping $5.3 billion of our collective dough.

Whether we are chemically stimulating because we do not get enough sleep, or whether the caffeine itself is depriving us of precious rest, we are also sleeping less than ever before. Americans get an average of six and a half hours of sleep a night, a 25 percent drop since the early 1900s. No wonder we are stressed. And as if we needed any more help depriving ourselves of rest, scientists may have found a drug that will eliminate sleepiness.

According to a recent article in Wired Magazine, “A nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called ‘orexin A’ reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests.”

Personally, I would rather not take a chemical that helps me perform like a well-rested monkey. But the prospect of a chemical that could reduce sleepiness without the side effects other stimulants are known for could have far-reaching repercussions.

While the drug is still many years away from reaching pharmacies, it reminds me how important it is to examine the trends facing society from a biblical rather than a purely cultural perspective. We live in a culture today that spurns rest.

Whether it is working later hours to have more spending power or commuting longer distances to live “the good life,” or just staying up too late to watch more TV, the truth is people are ready to skip rest to do it all. For most people, the only thing that makes this choice a dangerous one would be the potential health risks and the side effects we feel the next day. Eliminate the health risks and side effects, and ta-da!, no problem.

But what about for Christians? God built rest into the very rhythm of creation. Keeping a day of rest made His top-10 list. And believe it or not, rest serves a purpose—a divine purpose. It reminds us that God is in control. What happens when you cannot finish everything that you think you need to get done and your body is telling you, “you have to go to sleep”? You are thrown into a situation in which you must depend on God.

Rest reminds us that there is Someone we can rest in. And our need for rest is a daily reminder that we are finite creatures and must trust in an infinite God.

We cannot do it alone. And in this way rest is also a picture of the great work of salvation we are offered. We can work all we want, and we will never earn salvation. Jesus did the work for us. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest . . .” (4:9-11a).

So here’s a question for you: How are you doing at resting? It may say more than you realize about how you are doing in trusting God.

[Mr. Silverback]

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[Mr. Silverback]

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[elk]

We cut caffeine in July - WOW! Life is cool. No Starbucks bill, no soda bulge around the middle, no jitters.

The book Caffeine Blues, is extremely informative.

Caffix (or similar items) + agave are a great hot substitute, and you won't even need that sub after awhile.

The Caffeine Blues talks about the ability to leap out of bed in the morning like a child, if you don't do caffeine -- so true. Cool.

[Greg F]

I need about 6 hours sleep a night; wake up without the alarm. I also drink a lot of coffee and tea (hey, there are anti-oxidents and good nutrition stuff in both — don’t judge me man!). The scientists are guaranteed to get it wrong on these chemicals that allow people less sleep though. We’ll find out what they missed a decade after people use them extensively, and we find out that the heart or nervous system needs more rest than the brain, or somesuch thing.

[Nea Wood]

Seriously? Giving up caffeine made you more wide awake? Hmmm...you’ve made me think.

[cake_crumb]

"Sixty percent of us drink a cup of coffee a day"

Well, no $hit Sherlock. So? I drink over a pot and a half a day. I'm an unashamed coffeeholic.

[cake_crumb]

I don’t drink soda and Hubby rarely does...we DO, however, put in some extremely long days, beginning at 4:30 AM.

[cake_crumb]

I think it’s time to sue Big Caffeine!

[RockinRight]

The Caffeine Blues talks about the ability to leap out of bed in the morning like a child, if you don't do caffeine -- so true. Cool.

I haven't had caffeine in 2 weeks...I still don't "hop out of bed like a child."

In fact, I haven't hopped out of bed like a child since I was a child...probably about age 9.

[RockinRight]

I CAN sometimes wake up without the alarm if I get enough sleep for a few days in a row. I sleep rather erraticly a lot though, it really seems that it’s a matter of comfort. If I’m in a “relaxed” position, I toss and turn because my arms “fall asleep.” I can’t seem to find a place to put my arms as weird as that sounds...I often joke that if I could snap off my legs and arms at night and leave them on the nightstand, I’d sleep better. LOL...

[GovernmentShrinker]

The biggest problem is that, in a free market, if some people are taking a drug to replace sleep, there will be extreme pressure on everyone to do the same. How do you keep up with co-workers’ performance or get an A in a course, if the other people you’re being compared to don’t sleep, and thus have an extra 7-8 hours a day to work?

[sinanju]

I have been reading about the studies that show, chronic sleeplesness disrupts certain hormones so as to derange the appetite control mechanism which makes people hungry all the time. I’m betting that this is the biggest contributor to our very recent obesity explosion.

[RockinRight]

That’s quite possible. I know that I should probably go to bed an hour earlier than I do, but I really hate the feeling of having no time to relax and wind down.

[tx_eggman]

Caffix (or similar items) + agave are a great hot substitute

I prefer my agave distilled and straight up:

[GovernmentShrinker]

And your “bet” has already been backed up by solid research.

[RayChuang88]

Most doctors say that if you don’t drink more than 1-2 cups of drip coffee per day, you’re generally okay healthwise.

[martin_fierro]

[chrisser]

...I toss and turn because my arms “fall asleep.” I can’t seem to find a place to put my arms as weird as that sounds...I often joke that if I could snap off my legs and arms at night and leave them on the nightstand, I’d sleep better.

I thought I was alone in this.

If I sleep on my stomach, I have to have my arm under my head - and my arm falls asleep and wakes me up. If I use a pillow and keep my arm at my side, it falls asleep and wakes me up.

If I sleep on my back, my arms still fall asleep and wake me up.

I can't remember the last time I slept through the night its been so long.

Sleeping pills help, but I have yet to find one that doesn't make me feel drugged until 10 or 11am, which is just as bad as being sleep-deprived, IMHO.

[wally_bert]

Drinks with caffeine never did a thing for me either. I never could stand the taste of coffee. The aroma of coffee would match the taste, I would drink it.

[SpinnerWebb]

I'm still a cane sugar fan...