Hotel Sominex

The latest hotel amenity at a certain St. Paul hotel is a different kind of non-stop service, writes Bob Greene in the New York Times (7/27/10). It’s not free wireless or 24/7 room service but rather a "gauzy bag" of "tools and advice on how to achieve that all-but-impossible dream, a decent night’s sleep." It includes "a pair of noise-blocking earplugs … A black mask to be worn through the night" and a "CD of a detailed lecture" by a sleep expert.

The kit also contains some big, plastic clips to keep your curtain shut, along with "an instruction sheet" that advises: "Remember the purpose of the bed. Avoid TV, eating and emotional discussions while in bed … No drinks after 8 p.m. … Opt for foods that promote sleep, such as milk, tuna, halibut, pumpkin …" Perhaps most important of all, the kit comes with a guarantee "that wake-up calls would ring at the requested hour, and vowing that if the call were not to come, the night’s stay would be free." The caveat itself might be enough to keep anyone awake.

But, as Bob notes, this sleep kit suggests that "in these nerve-jangling times, what we seem to really want, increasingly, is not 24/7 action and data, nor pride in our ability to endlessly multitask, but a night of sound, uninterrupted slumber." He writes: "In 2008, 56 million sleeping-pill prescriptions were written up 54 percent from 2004. Doctors say they are dealing with more than 80 separate sleep disorders. Something fundamental seems to have gone wrong …. And, wait a minute — what if those hotel-issued earplugs prevent you from hearing your guaranteed wakeup call?"