Girl Get Some Rest For Real

Hearing March is National Sleep Month wouldn’t have registered with me a few years ago. Raised in the entertainment “can’t stop won’t stop”, “sleep when you die” culture shaped much of my early career so much so that I would feel guilty for being tired. If that sounds far-fetched, there was a popular urban clothing brand in the southeast titled, “Sleep is for Suckers”. For Gen Zers like myself, the promise of financial success and “greatness” was promoted as attainable if one was willing to sacrifice themselves in the pursuit of Black excellence. In my 30s the only thing standing between me and monumental success was the willingness to outwork others and sacrifice my personal health and well-being. A decade and a half later and like many others in my generation, I’m realizing the culture I praised and attempted to emulate was responsible for much more harm than good.

For Black professionals taught to work twice as hard in order to get to an even starting point, rest has felt like an unaffordable luxury. There are significant numbers of Black Gen Zers dealing with mental health challenges.  A recent study suggested nearly two-thirds of Gen Zers reported experiencing at least one mental health problems in the last two years. Medical reports also showed the demographic suffering from intense health challenges including diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. We’ve been warned about diet and exercise, but health professionals have been encouraging the importance of sleep hygiene and thankfully people are paying attention. During sleep, the body undergoes critical repair processes that help fight illness, heal wounds, and recover from the stresses of day-to-day life. Proper rest can positively impact both physical and mental health in a number of ways. The “no sleep” grind culture has been replaced by a new movement that includes rest as self-care.

• “Sleep hygiene” search interest hit an all-time high in 2025, and searches for “how to improve quality of sleep” are up 140% this past month.
• The rise of “sleepmaxxing” shows that younger generations, including high achievers, are prioritizing deep, restorative rest.
• Search interest in “magnesium for sleep” surpassed melatonin in December 2022 and has remained higher ever since, signaling a shift in how people are optimizing sleep.

The Pixel Watch 3 is a powerful tool in this movement, designed to help users optimize rest, reduce stress, and track their body’s readiness for the day. Key features include:

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Tracking – Provides insights into stress and recovery, helping users understand their body’s response to rest.
• Auto-Bedtime Mode & Sleep Score – Delivers personalized insights to encourage better sleep habits.
• Morning Brief & Daily Readiness Score – Summarizes overnight recovery, helping users plan their day based on sleep quality and body readiness.
• It’s encouraging to see that younger generations aren’t falling victim to the same mental trap that my generation ascribed to years ago. By discarding the myths from the past, Black professionals are embracing a balanced life that prioritizes self-care and rest. As I prepare to embrace another decade in life, I am resigned to prioritizing self-care in a much more intentional way than before. Today I define success as a comprehensive gauge that includes my physical, mental and emotional wellbeing in addition to my career and family life.