Unveiling Netflix's Biggest Rival: The Battle Between Streaming and Sleep - Why Are We Sleeping Less?

 Authored by Megha Bajaj with inputs from Priyanka Chadchan

In 2017, Reed Hastings, Co-founder of Netflix, was asked, “Who is your No. 1 competitor?” He answered, “You get a show or a movie you're really dying to watch, and you end up staying up late at night, so we actually compete with sleep. And we are winning!”

This statement is alarming enough. In a world where everything is one click away, we are smarter and faster. We are evolving as superhumans in our own ways. But it’s vital to pause and ask ourselves: Are we also becoming weaker, lazier, more inefficient, with a shorter attention span, and yes, unhealthier (physically, mentally, and emotionally)?

Many would, unfortunately, nod in agreement.

Imagine preparing for bed after a wholesome meal and a tiring day, lying on a cozy bed that seems perfect, but eventually not being able to sleep for hours. You check your phone, scroll, and try again, but there are no signs of sleep. You realize it's 4 am; you feel tired, yet you are wide awake. The worries gather, the overthinker in you awakens; you become anxious about your life, your job, and unfulfilled dreams, and then the sun rises…

Have you experienced such nights?

As we mark World Sleep Day on March 17 every year, a nationwide survey conducted by Local Circles in 2023, reported by the Economic Times, titled "How India Sleeps," revealed some profound findings. Around 55 percent of Indians aren't getting enough sleep or are sleeping for less than 6 hours, 61% of Indians experience restless nights, and nearly 21% of people are getting only 4 hours of sleep.

The reasons identified are several: the urge to get up in the middle of the night to visit washrooms, improper sleep environment, strenuous routines, and binge-watching on OTT platforms, thereby affecting circadian rhythms and melatonin production.

Why is sleep so important, and why do we need to ‘Sleep Like A Panda’?

• First, if you want to remember what you have learned or learn a new skill, or crack that project deal with your client at work, you need to sleep better—before and after. Good sleep helps you soak up information more effectively.
• Second, did you know that we are the ONLY mammals that can delay sleep? Yes! The rest of the animals fall asleep when their bodies tell them to! So, the good news is we can control, tweak, and make the best use of our brains. The bad news is that the majority of the world is doing exactly the opposite. Success lies in getting a good 6-8 hours of sleep every day.
• Third, we all know how our family elders have consistently improved their quality of life just through good food and good sleep as a recipe for a happy life.
• Fourth, Flipkart recently revealed that Gen Z shops late at night! As more than half of our population marches towards a technologically driven era, they are also turning into night owls. To make their lives exciting, they have introduced glow-in-the-dark billboards and offer discounts from 11 pm to 3 am, leading to a disrupted circadian rhythm.

Can we blame Flipkart or Netflix? Probably not. We need to reengineer our systems, refrain, and reset.

• Fifth, we see innumerable diet recommendations, YouTube videos, fancy articles, and endorsements on how to stay fit and healthy, but to begin your journey towards ‘good’ health, step one is to sleep well. Insomnia can make you feel hungrier, prompting you to use Zomato or Swiggy and eat more. Sleeplessness can lead to increased hunger and lowers levels of leptin, a hunger-regulating hormone.

Overall, we all know how powerful sleep is, and all we have to do is ‘sleep better,’ because early to bed and early to rise makes everyone happy, healthy, and wise.

Here are three tips to help us begin sleeping better:

• One, practice “no screen time” 1 hour before you sleep. Device screens produce blue light, which affects the long sleep cycle significantly. Stimulation of this part of the brain suppresses melatonin production, making it difficult for many to “turn off” their brains and fall asleep. 
• Two, read and educate yourself on why sleep is important, making conscious decisions to revamp your sleep routine if it is unhealthy. Use this article as a wake-up call to start sleeping better. Especially if you are below 30 and feel invincible, please re-read this. Every sleep backlog takes a toll on the body, mind, and emotions. If you have not been feeling like “yourself” for a while, sleep could be the answer.
• Three, practice night rituals. Having dinner at least three hours before you sleep allows the food to be digested rather than your system digesting it as you sleep. The deeper the sleep, the more rejuvenated you will feel upon waking. Listening to soothing instrumental music, wearing extremely loose and comfortable clothing, and practicing deep breathing before sleep calms your mind. Some people prefer to read or journal to declutter and establish a rhythm. 

Tip: The next time you find yourself mindlessly scrolling late at night, remind yourself to say, “Stop—let's sleep like a panda!”

Happy sleeping!