In 2016, Alejandro “AJ” Fragoso set a Guinness World Record for binge watching 94 straight hours of television.
We’ve all been there… “Just one more episode,” we say to ourselves when deciding between Netflix and sleep. It’d be no surprise if morning-you was currently mad at last-night-you for this very reason.
Humans are the only species known to willingly delay sleep. Animals instinctively choose to fall asleep when their body and mind relay sleepy messages. They don’t have to face the mental quarrels we’re cursed with, like deciding if it’s worth staying up 10 more minutes to watch another Jimmy Kimmel bit on YouTube (and 2 more after that).
It wasn’t always this way – 9 or more hours of sleep was the norm for humans about 100 years ago. When electricity came along we lit up the streets and kept partying into the night. Then we were gifted with the miracle of television, also known as the beginning of the end for healthy sleep.
Finally, the internet and smartphones brought on the digital age of cat memes, hashtags, and binge watching 7 seasons of your favorite show in 2 days – which we’re honestly thankful for, even if it does cost us our sleep.