The Sleep Era Is Upon Us (and I Was Born Ready)

Somewhere between the protein obsession and the cold plunge discourse, sleep quietly became the coolest thing you can do for your health. And honestly? It's about time.

Bustle recently ran a piece on sleep tips from Olympic athletes — the people whose entire careers depend on physical recovery — and what struck me wasn't how extreme their routines were. It was how unsexy most of the advice was. Consistent bedtimes. Dark rooms. No screens. The boring stuff, done with unusual commitment.

I have been doing the boring stuff, and I will not be entirely humble about it: my Oura ring recently gave me a 97% sleep score. In my family, this is not surprising. We are, all of us, gifted sleepers: the kind of people who can fall asleep anywhere, at any time, under any conditions. It's less a wellness practice and more just how we're wired. My contribution to the family legacy is simply that I go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. That's genuinely the whole routine.

And I think that's kind of the point.

We’ve spent so long treating sleep as the thing you sacrifice to prove you’re serious: about work, about ambition, about being the kind of person who has a lot going on. Hustle culture turned exhaustion into something aspirational. I’ll sleep when I’m dead was said out loud, by adults, as if that were a flex and not at least a little concerning.

Meanwhile, the research keeps piling up. Sleep shapes cortisol, immunity, appetite, and emotional regulation. Even Olympians talk about it now not as indulgence, but as infrastructure. What I notice most, though, is simpler than any data point. I’m steadier when I’m rested. Kinder. Slightly less reactive in the group chat.

I don’t have an elaborate wind-down routine. I just keep my bedtime. The ring doesn't lie.