Although the sociology of sleep is a growing subfield, little is known about agency in the context of sleep. This article contributes to the sociological literature by showing how different types of agency emerge as a result of sleep interembodiment (i.e., experiencing sleep partners’ bodies as intertwined). The study draws on qualitative data generated through in‐depth interviews with 70 snorers and 20 sleep partners of snorers. Interviews were conducted in Israel and were analysed following constructivist grounded theory principles. Results indicate that two types of agency coexist and, in fact, co‐constitute one another: The first type, herein termed material agency, reflects the post‐humanist tradition, which conceptualizes agents as entities (whether human or nonhuman) that alter a state of affairs by making a difference in another agent's action. This type of agency exists in both wakefulness and throughout periods of sleep, as the snorer’s body acts and interacts with a partner's body in ways that engender significant change in their lives, relationships, and actions. In contrast, the second type, herein termed reflexive agency, reflects the humanist tradition, which regards agency as individuals' creative and assertive capacities motivated by intentionality and reflexivity. This type of agency declines significantly during stages of deep sleep but re‐emerges in response to partners' actions. The article adds to the literature by refining the concept of agency and elucidating its relationship to both accountability and interembodiment. In addition, the article provides much‐needed empirical evidence showing how “personal responsibility” for health, as required by neoliberal discourses, is invoked within families, specifically with regard to sleep. This study therefore shows how certain macro‐level structures of neoliberalism are enacted and reinforced within micro‐level interactions.

中文翻译：

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“你必须做点什么”：打鼾、睡眠交互体和代理的出现。

尽管睡眠社会学是一个不断发展的子领域，但人们对睡眠背景下的能动性知之甚少。这篇文章通过展示不同类型的能动性如何因睡眠互体（即体验睡眠伙伴的身体交织在一起）而出现，从而为社会学文献做出贡献。该研究利用了通过对 70 名打鼾者和 20 名打鼾者的睡眠伙伴进行深入访谈而产生的定性数据。访谈在以色列进行，并按照建构主义扎根理论原则进行分析。结果表明，两种类型的代理共存，事实上，相互构成：第一种类型，这里称为物质代理，反映了后人类主义传统，将代理概念化为实体（无论是人类还是非人类），通过改变另一个代理的行为来改变事态。这种类型的能动性存在于清醒和整个睡眠期间，因为打鼾者的身体以某种方式与伴侣的身体互动，从而导致他们的生活、关系和行为发生重大变化。相比之下，第二种类型，这里称为反射性代理，反映了人文主义传统，将能动性视为个人受意向性和反思性驱动的创造性和自信的能力。这种类型的能动性在深度睡眠阶段显着下降，但会随着伴侣的行为重新出现。这篇文章通过提炼代理的概念并阐明其与问责制和相互间的关系来增加文献。此外，该文章提供了急需的经验证据，表明新自由主义话语要求的健康“个人责任”是如何在家庭中被调用的，特别是在睡眠方面。因此，这项研究显示了新自由主义的某些宏观结构是如何在微观相互作用中形成和加强的。