What If Everyone Fell Asleep At The Same Time?

WHAT IF

How would our world change if we were all forced into the same sleep schedule?

Transcript

00:00 Everybody loves a good sleep.

00:06 But we probably wouldn't enjoy it as much

00:08 if we had no control over when it happened.

00:12 Imagine falling into a deep sleep during a first date,

00:16 in the middle of an important presentation,

00:19 or God forbid, behind the wheel of a car.

00:22 Now, imagine waking up

00:24 and realizing that the same uncontrollable bouts of slumber

00:28 are also happening to everyone else,

00:30 at the same time, all over the world.

00:34 How would our world change

00:36 if we were all forced into the same sleep schedule?

00:39 Would our global society be more productive?

00:43 Could it be good for the environment?

00:46 This is WHAT IF,

00:48 and here's what would happen if everyone fell asleep at the same time.

00:53 Now, short of some magical spell being placed on us by extraterrestrial wizards,

00:57 we can't think of any phenomenon that would cause this to happen.

01:01 But the possible effects of the scenario are worth exploring.

01:05 We live in an increasingly global community

01:08 where people are working together from entirely different sides of the planet,

01:11 and on entirely different schedules.

01:14 If everyone slept at the same time,

01:16 it would be great for global unity and communications,

01:19 as everyone would be on the same production schedule.

01:22 But what kind of toll would that take on our bodies?

01:27 The Earth is divided into 24 time zones,

01:29 and if everyone around the world were to fall asleep at the exact same time,

01:34 the experience would be very different depending on which zone you lived in.

01:38 If this wave of uncontrollable sleep were to start at 10 p.m. in New York City,

01:44 it would be 11 a.m. in Tokyo,

01:46 and they'd be sleeping in broad daylight.

01:48 Not ideal, but humans can adapt to daytime sleeping.

01:52 Just ask all the people working overnight shifts.

01:55 Besides, the overall benefits of a universal sleep schedule would be astronomical,

02:00 and would surely outweigh the inconveniences, right?

02:04 Well, let's take a look.

02:06 Worldwide communication and as a result, productivity,

02:09 would become significantly more efficient,

02:12 since everyone would be reachable at the same time,

02:14 and on the same production schedule.

02:17 Our planet would get a considerable rest,

02:19 as there would be an eight-hour break every day from pollution and resource depletion.

02:24 And cutting back on power station output at the same time every day

02:28 would see the entire planet collectively reduce its use of electricity.

02:33 That all sounds pretty awesome, right?

02:36 If only it were that simple.

02:38 You see, first off, our workforce wouldn't be that efficient.

02:42 Half of the world would be working against their natural sleep cycles,

02:45 so they wouldn't be operating at their full potential.

02:48 Plus, some industries, such as logging, landscaping, and farming,

02:54 would all be at a severe disadvantage without the natural light of the Sun.

02:58 Then we have the so-called environmental benefit.

03:01 Yeah, that doesn't hold up either.

03:03 Sure, our planet would get eight hours off, but

03:06 that just means that all our pollution and resource depletion would be concentrated

03:10 into the hours in which we're all awake.

03:12 The same thing goes for our electricity consumption.

03:15 Our power grid would get a nice rest for eight hours,

03:18 but that would be followed by a worldwide surge when everyone wakes up at the same time,

03:22 and starts using their lights and appliances.

03:25 On top of all that, regardless of the fact that you can get used to it,

03:29 working overnight is very bad for your health.

03:33 Trying to sleep during daylight hours goes against your body's biological clock.

03:38 It can impact your memory and processing abilities.

03:41 It depletes your vitamin intake,

03:43 and it's been linked to increased cases of depression, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

03:49 So the next time you feel like complaining about an early wake-up,

03:53 try to keep it in perspective.

03:55 At least you have control of when you sleep.

03:58 Some people can't sleep at all,

04:00 but that's a topic for another WHAT IF.

04:03 [music]

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