No sleep for the wicked

Do you struggle to switch off? World Economic Forum / Benedikt von Loebell

Given the frenetic nature of Davos when WEF is in town, I found it particularly apt that the organisers issued a report on sleep. The crux of the study is that we don’t get enough of it.

Maybe I missed the point because I stayed up all night to read it.

Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post, gets it. She’s even written a book on the subject. “I think that Davos is an incredibly sleep deprived part of the world right now,” she said at a fringe meeting.

The problem with WEF Davos is that there is so much information blasting at you and so many people to meet, there are not enough hours in the day to take it all in. Applying a filter is an essential part of any Davos attendee’s toolkit. Environment, human rights, finance, business regulation, security, migration, politics from all corners of the world – you name it, they have it. It’s the Amazon of newsworthy subjects.

Having burned the candle at both ends for four days, I’m off to get some sleep – after a four hour journey home (I lost the keys to my private jet).

So what has WEF got to say about sleep? “Digital media users on average spend more hours online than they sleep, but only 50% believe it improves quality of life.”

So if you’re reading this online at 2am, I’ll forgive you if you stop now and switch your tablet off.