‘Consumed with Sleep? Dormant Bodies in Consumer Culture’

This paper takes the neglected sociological matter of sleep and applies theinsights contained therein to issues and debates within the sociology ofconsumption. Sleep, it is argued, is pursued if not consumed in a variety ofways in consumer culture, including its (lifestyle) associations with health andbeauty, leisure and pleasure. It is also increasingly recognised if notcontracted for in the workplace, construed as the ‘ultimate performanceenhancer’ and the ‘cheapest form of stress relief’. These and other insights arelocated in the context of a burgeoning ‘sleep industry’ and the consumeridentities it spawns: one which is busy capitalising on this dormant third partof our lives through a range of products, from beds to bedding, night-wear tonight-cream, pills to pillows. Sleep, it is concluded, is a crucial element ofconsumption, augmenting existing theoretical and empirical agendas insignificant new ways. The broader sociological implications of sleep are alsotouched upon and addressed, as a stimulus to further research, discussion anddebate.