“Sorrow feels the heart when hopes are lost; bitterness consumes the soul when dreams die in wake of the day they came” Adekoya Boladale, Sunset at Noon.
This year 2020 has been intensely traumatic for a variety of reasons, most especially for the level of unprecedented tragedy. We nearly had a World War 3 (WW3), Australia was on fire, the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world, and racial tensions over police brutality in the US reached a breaking point but even still, losing Chadwick Boseman to a four-year battle with cancer shines a light on the need for us to take our health more seriously. A statement from the family said the ‘Black Panther’ star died at his home in Los Angeles from complications of Stage IV colon cancer, a disease which was diagnosed in 2016 at Stage III.
It is similar to when the world mourned the death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009, a trans-generational music legend, who transited to the great beyond at the unripe age of 50 years. Michael Jackson, the man who rocked the entertainment world with signature dance rhythms, did not understand the circadian rhythm.
The report was that before his death, Michael Jackson suffered from anxiety and stress that led to sleep deprivation such that the king of pop had to pop pills before he could sleep but he still could not sleep more than four hours a night. Dr Charles Czeisler, a Harvard Medical School sleep expert, said, “The symptoms that Mr Jackson was exhibiting were consistent with what someone might expect to see of someone suffering from total sleep deprivation over a chronic period.”
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How did Michael Jackson get to the point where sleeping became a problem for him?
First, anxiety can cause sleeping problems. After several decades of the music scene, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) moved to resuscitate the music career of Michael Jackson by contracting him to do 50 shows in London as part of the ‘This is it’ music concert.
Michael Jackson became anxious. He had this once in a lifetime opportunity to prove to the world once again that he still had it in him. American producer, director and choreographer who worked with Michael Jackson in preparation for the concert, Kenny Ortega, expressed his concern about Michael’s condition.
Kenny Ortega said Michael Jackson displayed “strong signs of paranoia and anxiety. It is like there are two people there. One (deep inside) trying to hold on to what he was and still can be and not wanting us to quit on him, the other in his weakened and troubled state…”.
Second stress: it is no longer news that Michael Jackson subjected himself to hectic schedules of rehearsals. He had a reputation for practising dance steps until he would collapse because his legs did not work anymore.
In preparation for the ‘This is it’ concert, his disposition was not different. Lou Ferrigno who was training Jackson ahead of his 50 concert dates at the O2 Arena in London said Michael Jackson was under tremendous stress. “He might have been a little thin because he was under a lot of stress training for the tour,” Ferrigno said.
Cherilyn Lee, a nurse who tried to help Michael Jackson find sleep, testified that after one of her treatments, Jackson awoke after just four hours of sleep and became very agitated. She said, ‘He stood up on the bed and he looked at me at 4:30 in the morning’ “I told you I cannot sleep all night,” Lee said Jackson told her.
The last in the series of unpleasant events that caused sleep deprivation for the king of pop was probably his indebtedness. At the time of his death, Michael Jackson owed about $500 million. You will probably find it difficult to sleep too if you owe $500 million. In an attempt to pay off these debts, Michael signed up to do the “This is it” concert. He worked himself to death preparing for this concert because he needed the money badly. This debt-induced desperation gave the king of pop sleepless nights and he resorted to drug abuse.
Cherilyn Lee tried to help Michael Jackson find sleep with vitamin infusions. She said that the singer became convinced that propofol was the only cure for his insomnia.
Charles Czeisler, a doctor, said that propofol disrupts the normal sleep cycle and offers no sleep, yet it leaves a patient feeling refreshed as if they had experienced genuine sleep.
On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest caused by acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication at his home. No one should get to the point where they can no longer enjoy God’s gift of sleep. No ambition is worth our peace of mind. Life is short. If you feel stressed, take time out to rest instead of trying to supplement natural sleep with drugs.
