As you may or may not know, I was making a living as a dancer in New York for almost a year and a half until I had to come back home because of the pandemic. Anyway, Manhattan is widely known as the city that never sleeps - even though it is one of the most lucrative cities to live in and one of the most expensive. This is striking considering that insufficient sleep robs a nation of 2% of its GDP, according to Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, PhD. He is the director of UC Berkeley's Center for Human Sleep Science.
But how can New York make so much money when it's always awake?
Well, much of this has to do with mega businesses prioritizing health and wellness for their employees - which New York is all about, worth about 1.5 trillion and contributing to approximately 1.1% of the US GDP -- which is cool considering how tiny it is. But at work, there is a couch for the girls to sleep on if they're too tired to perform and entertain to the best of their ability. I remember after a really long shift I was so tired and didn't make any money so at 2:30 AM I just had to take my turn on the sleep couch. Well, at 3 I woke up and was thinking about leaving cus there was only an hour til closing (we can come and go as we please). But I hit the floor and by 3:30 I made like $500 -- pretty solid considering my drowsiness and the absence of guests of the entire night. Sleep = BANK. So even though dancing might turn you into a nocturnal animal, prioritize 8 hours of sleep in the dark to get appropriate rest.
It is SO important to be well rested in the dancing profession, to boost creativity, memory, sharpen your motor skills, AND to be aware of any creepy predator guests who wanna take advantage if you're too tired. After all, stripping is an art form and personal entertainment - you need to be sharp in both mind and body. And not only is good rest an asset to your work but when you're driving to and from work, as well. Leading to my next point which is so so so important for everyone I dance with to understand, especially if you drive.....
When I started stripping, I made the conscious choice to forego driving a personal vehicle and use public transportation, cabs, ubers, and lyfts. I've never had a DUI in my entire life, and I do NOT want that hanging over my head as a stripper, when we're already targeted by cops and people for pretty much everything. Put simply, you do NOT want to be the stripper at the club paying off a DUI. I have friends who have had this happen to them and you turn into the asshat at the club pretty quickly. We are around so much alcohol and we are exerting so much of our bodies in performance and when working the floor -- this can tire anyone out pretty quickly. Well, according to Walker, which was totally eye opening for me -- getting behind the wheel when tired is just as bad if not worse than getting behind the wheel after drinking. Tired driving is a leading cause of tragic car accidents accounting for about 1.2 million accidents a year in the US. Apparently, in 2006, a bus carrying 9 children, stopped at a stop sign and a Pontiac carrying 7 people pulled up behind. Well, an 18 wheeler barreled down the road, without stopping, striking the Pontiac and riding over it hitting the bus. The bus, the truck, and the Pontiac went through a ditch -- the Pontiac imploded and all 7 passengers were killed. The bus kept moving and hit into trees. The bus driver was killed, but the 9 children were spared though 3 of them were ejected from the bus -- they all sustained serious injuries -- as did the truck driver who, as it happened, survived.
All of his toxicology tests were negative when detained by the police -- the trucker was awake for 34 hours and fell asleep behind the wheel.
SO to my dancer friends DO NOT GET BEHIND THE WHEEL IF YOU ARE TOO TIRED TOO DRUNK OR TOO HIGH. Take a nap in your car if needed -- it could end up saving your life, anyone you pose a risk to, and all of the money you've worked so hard for. Even ask a friend if you can crash with them for a night or find someone to come pick you up. Seriously not worth it.
Well, I love Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, and I just finished it today. It's been keeping me company in quarantine, and been thoroughly educational, detailing the science of sleep, how to get the best of it, and how to seriously prioritize it despite all of the other challenges we face at work, at home, and in our own mind -- which can be a dangerous thing to get lost in.
So to improve sleep, change all of the LED lightbulbs in your room or anything that emits blue light, maintain a temperature of 65 degrees fahrenheit for bedtime, and take naps as needed throughout the day before mid afternoon.
I encourage everyone to check it out and let me know your thoughts!!
I love sleep!!!!!!
&&thanks for reading!
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