The movie Ring by Hideo Nakata left a profound impact on me, particularly in how I viewed sleep. Now that I understand more about the brain and its functions, I realize how incredibly powerful it is and why it deserves to be at the center of our attention.
I first watched Ring during high school, but it wasn’t until a few years later that I encountered something far more terrifying—a real-life experience linked to sleep deprivation. One day, after being severely sleep-deprived, I crashed onto my bed, expecting relief. But what followed was a chilling phenomenon that shook me to my core.
As I slept, my brain remained active. My eyes opened, yet I couldn’t move my limbs. My hearing failed me, and I was trapped in silence. Initially confused, panic set in when I saw Sadako—the haunting ghost from Ring—standing inches away, staring at me with all the grotesque detail the movie had etched into my memory.
No matter how hard I tried to look away, she was there. My panic intensified as I feared she might come closer. In a desperate attempt, I forced myself to keep watching her. This felt like an eternity of fright—an endless moment that warped time. At one point, I even wished she’d end it all, and just as I thought that, my upper body moved, and she disappeared.
Understanding the phenomenon
For those unfamiliar with Ring, it’s a Japanese horror movie revolving around a cursed videotape. After watching it, your phone—an old-school fixed-line phone—rings, and within days, you’re visited by Sadako, who terrifies her victims to death. Sadako, a girl with psychic powers, was thrown into a well alive due to the fear she evoked in others.
At the time of my experience, I didn’t know about sleep paralysis, but I did know that certain mental conditions could appear in young adults around my age (19-20). Thanks to friends who discussed the phenomenon, I later understood what had actually happened.
The science of sleep and its societal impact
We all know we need sleep, but its importance often goes undervalued. Dr. Matthew Walker’s book Why We Sleep delves into how sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality harm the brain and affect our daily lives. For instance, chronic sleep deprivation impacts mood, learning, willpower, awareness, and even physical fitness.
Experts recommend at least 7 hours of sleep daily and emphasize the need for healthy sleep hygiene, such as maintaining regular bedtime routines. However, one critical aspect often overlooked is our chronotype—a natural predisposition to being an early riser or a night owl. Despite this, modern society enforces rigid schedules that fail to accommodate individual differences.
This issue is particularly acute for children and teens. Younger children tend to wake earlier, but teenagers naturally develop a later chronotype. Yet, school schedules remain inflexible, depriving teens of the quality sleep crucial for their developing brains. Proper sleep is vital for building a healthy brain, especially since our brains remain highly plastic until our mid-20s.
The path to societal change
While neuroscience has made strides, much about the brain remains unknown. What we do know highlights the urgent need for societal adaptation to support better brain health. Healthy brains foster greater awareness, helping us address not just personal well-being but also pressing global issues like climate change and environmental degradation.
Improving individual brain health by aligning societal norms with biological realities could catalyze a global awakening to the changes we need. By prioritizing brain health, we can better understand and address the critical challenges facing humanity and the planet.
What’s your take?
Have you ever had a surreal experience linked to sleep deprivation or poor sleep? Do you think societal structures need to change to better accommodate our natural rhythms? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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