1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: In order to be able to cover news twenty four 2 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: to seven. It means people have to work at all 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: strange hours of the night. And even if you think 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: about a program like Good Morning America, everyone who works 5 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: on that show is waking up at two, three, four, 6 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: maybe five in the morning if they're lucky. 7 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 2: Diane Mercedo is a journalist, author, and news anchor who 8 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 2: co hosts ABC News Live. From the anchor chair of 9 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 2: early morning news shows to field reporting for overnight news coverage, 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 2: Diane has done it all. We rely on journalists like 11 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 2: her to be there to deliver the stories and information 12 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,559 Speaker 2: that we need to know, and Diane is one of 13 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 2: the most trusted voices in the industry. On an average day, 14 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:53,240 Speaker 2: she's reporting the news to roughly eight point one million viewers. 15 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: The ultimate reward is relaying this information that I think 16 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: is really important, and I do you consider news of 17 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 1: public service. And I'm a very sort of principled, idealistic person. 18 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:06,960 Speaker 3: Even still in my career. 19 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 2: Things don't stop happening just because the sun goes down. 20 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 2: Reporting the news is a twenty four to seven job. 21 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: I've had shifts where I went in at noon, i 22 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: went in at three thirty in the morning. I went 23 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 1: in at one thirty in the morning, camera ready. I've 24 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:30,199 Speaker 1: gone in at ten or eleven pm and come out 25 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: of work at nine am, And then you try to sleep. 26 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 2: If the news never sleeps, what does that mean for 27 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 2: the journalists to report it and how do they disconnect 28 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 2: from the intensity and severity of current events to onewine 29 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 2: for healthy sleep. I'm Anahad O'Connor and this is Chasing 30 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 2: Sleep and iHeartRadio production in partnership with Mattress Firm. As 31 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 2: a best selling author and a health call with the 32 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 2: background in psychology, I've spent a lot of my time 33 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 2: studying and writing about sleep. Sleep is so essential to 34 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 2: our overall health, but often it's something we overlook and 35 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 2: it's the first thing we tend to neglect. And each 36 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 2: episode we'll meet people living and working in extraordinary circumstances. 37 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:20,800 Speaker 2: I want to learn how they rest and recharge their 38 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 2: bodies and minds to perform at their very best. In 39 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 2: this episode, we'll uncover what working through the night to 40 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 2: bring you the news does to the brain and how 41 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 2: to slow things down to be able to get some 42 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 2: much needed rest. 43 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: Breaking news is the most challenging part of my job. Now, 44 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: But it's the part that I love the most. It's 45 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: when there's no prompter to rely on, there's no script 46 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: to rely on, sometimes very little information to rely on, 47 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 1: and you kind of just have to go with your gut. 48 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 3: It's you and the audience and nothing in between. 49 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: As you're actively getting in this new information, how do 50 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: I best relay this to the audience in a way 51 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: that everyone's gonna understand and be able to take in 52 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: and to be able to capture. 53 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,359 Speaker 3: What the important parts of this story really are. 54 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 2: There's something deeply exciting about the world of reporting and 55 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,399 Speaker 2: fitting in all the pieces of a story to give 56 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 2: the public a full picture. 57 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: I think I've just always had this intense curiosity about 58 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: wanting to know what was going on in the world 59 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: and wanting to figure it out, like everything was a 60 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: giant puzzle, and the more information I could get, the 61 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: more I could figure out how it all comes together. 62 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 2: There's no shortage of difficult moments in journalism. Sometimes the 63 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 2: bigger the story, the bigger the emotional toll it can 64 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 2: have on the public and the journalists delivering the story. 65 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 2: I wondered about some of those bigger moments in Diane's 66 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 2: career and how she's learned to process the weight of 67 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 2: the news she's reporting. 68 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: One big one for me was working on the Eric 69 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: Garner case. I was in Staten Island talking to his friends, 70 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: people who were there, who witnessed the police put him 71 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: in a chokehold. They were all telling me, you know, 72 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: they're saying he died at the hospital. As far as 73 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: we could tell, he died in front of us. And 74 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:26,359 Speaker 1: being able to talk to people like that firsthand, see 75 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: additional videos that they took. Regardless of your opinion on 76 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 1: the case, when you see how any serious news story 77 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:39,799 Speaker 1: actually touches the people who are directly involved, it affects 78 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: you differently. And that's one of those stories that you 79 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: know even now, I go home sometimes and I find 80 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: myself at midnight watching the video again, listening to the 81 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: audio again. 82 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 3: Can I do anything about it? 83 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: No. But in the instances like that, your brain doesn't 84 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: always let you sleep because it's so consumed by something else. 85 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: And then you hit a story that just consumes you 86 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: to the point where you can't fall asleep as easily 87 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: as you would like to. 88 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 2: Journalism requires those in the field to be able to 89 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 2: manage high levels of emotional stress along with the intense 90 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 2: pressure of being the first to break the news, no 91 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 2: matter the hour. At a certain point, that all starts 92 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 2: to take a toll. And when you're pushing through on 93 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 2: high levels of adrenaline, how do you come down from 94 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 2: the reporting high? 95 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 1: Little by little, I just saw my sleep deteriorate more 96 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:31,359 Speaker 1: and more and more and more. And I think I 97 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: did what most people do, which is you just assume 98 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: you can. 99 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 3: Power through it. 100 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: And one of the perks of having a job like 101 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:42,479 Speaker 1: this is that you love it and when you're doing it, 102 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: your adrenaline is pumping and you kind of find a 103 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:50,679 Speaker 1: way to perform. Your body just goes into showtime mode 104 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,280 Speaker 1: and you dig deep and you do it. I think 105 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: the problem comes around after. It's when you get home 106 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: and now you're trying to un plug from showtime mode, 107 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: and you're trying to tell your body work time is 108 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: over and now it's time to relax and unwind and 109 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 1: go to sleep. I think, for myself and for a 110 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 1: lot of journalists who are used to that kind of quick, 111 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: fast paced, fast thinking life, it's when you try to 112 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: step back from that that then you start to have 113 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,280 Speaker 1: a problem because you lay down in bed and you're 114 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: trying to tell your body it's time to go to sleep, 115 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: and your body's still in go mode. 116 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 2: We all know at this point that stress can really 117 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 2: do a number on our bodies. But I wanted to 118 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:34,039 Speaker 2: talk to an expert to learn more about how stress 119 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 2: and anxiety impact our sleep. So I decided to catch 120 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 2: up with doctor Jade Wu. She's a Board certified sleep psychologist, researcher, 121 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 2: and author of the book Hello Sleep, The Science and 122 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 2: Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications. And so, with the 123 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,039 Speaker 2: high stress environment of working in a newsroom like Dianda's, 124 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 2: could you walk us through how stress affects sleep. We 125 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 2: know that not getting enough sleep can be stressful, but 126 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,719 Speaker 2: how does having high levels of stress effect your sleep? 127 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 4: Yeah, stress and sleep are not good friends. So when 128 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 4: we experience a lot of stress, especially chronic stress, hour 129 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 4: after hour, day after day kind of stress, the message 130 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 4: that's sending to our bodies is there must be a 131 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 4: predator on our tail, because otherwise, why are you so 132 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,559 Speaker 4: high octane all the time, Why are you going, going, going, 133 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 4: Why is your heart rate up and your cortisol levels 134 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 4: are up? You know, all of this is telling our 135 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 4: bodies there must be a predator. So if there is 136 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 4: a predator, obviously the last thing you want to do 137 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 4: is sleep. So it's really hard to turn on and 138 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 4: off that switch to say, Okay, now I'm on, i 139 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 4: am reporting breaking news, I am you know, chasing down leads, 140 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 4: I am in front of the camera in front of 141 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 4: millions of people, and then switch it off like Okay, 142 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 4: I'm alone in my quiet room and I want to 143 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 4: sleep now. It's really hard to just, you know, switch 144 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,080 Speaker 4: on and off like that and get into sleepy mode. 145 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 2: So, if we're going about our days and tackling the 146 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 2: challenges that life throws at us, how can we tell 147 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 2: when stress is reaching a point where it's actively impacting 148 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 2: our sleep. 149 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 4: So one of the most common things I hear is 150 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 4: tired but wired. So someone is exhausted, they're dragging, they 151 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 4: can't concentrate, they don't feel well. They just want to 152 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 4: crawl into bed like everything in their body is screaming 153 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 4: for rest. But when they get into bed, they can't sleep. 154 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 4: They have insodom. Yet they're staring at the ceiling, They're 155 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 4: tossing and turning, their mind is racing, you know, and 156 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 4: sometimes they even feel like panicky feelings in their body. 157 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 4: That racing mind needs some sort of release. You know, 158 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 4: you can't just keep kicking the can down the road. 159 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 4: Your thoughts, your mind really do need your attention. So 160 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:53,319 Speaker 4: if all day long you're saying, Okay, I'm busy, I'm distracted, 161 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 4: and I don't have time to process my thoughts or emotions. 162 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 4: If the first time in your day that you have 163 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 4: a chance to us your thoughts your emotions is at bedtime, 164 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,320 Speaker 4: when you lay down and it's finally quite and dark, 165 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 4: then of course your racing mind is going to come 166 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 4: out to play. It's like been waiting patiently all day, 167 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,079 Speaker 4: like a child talking at your sleep. Okay, now I've 168 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 4: got your full attention. Let me tell you all of 169 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 4: the things. This is the tired, bit wired phenomenon that 170 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,079 Speaker 4: a lot of high stress jobs will bring, because then 171 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 4: your body and mind are really confused about what is day, 172 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 4: what is night? You know what is on time, what 173 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,320 Speaker 4: is off time, so it has a hard time keeping 174 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 4: up that. You know biological rhythm to help you up 175 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 4: regulate when you should be awake, down, regulate when you 176 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 4: should be asleep. We really should set aside time during 177 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 4: the day to process our thoughts, to review what we're feeling, 178 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:47,720 Speaker 4: what we're doing. Let your mind stretch its wings so 179 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 4: that your mind isn't like jonesing to go at bedtime. 180 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 4: So this tired but wired feeling is definitely a telltale. 181 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:58,960 Speaker 2: Sign stress plus crazy hours. Diane was feeling the weight 182 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 2: of her job and I was impacting her sleep, and 183 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,560 Speaker 2: the little sleep she was getting was starting to impact 184 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 2: other aspects of her health as well. 185 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 1: When I first started experiencing issues, I didn't realize that 186 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: they were tied to my sleep. But the first thing 187 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: I noticed was I had horrible acid reflux almost as 188 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,320 Speaker 1: soon as I started working in early morning news. So 189 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 1: I saw all these doctors about my acid reflux. They 190 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 1: put me on all this different medication. I started making 191 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:31,319 Speaker 1: all these dietary changes. Nothing helped, and in fact, I 192 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 1: started pushing my dinner time earlier and earlier and earlier, 193 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: because I kept reading that you have to have a 194 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: big space between your last meal and the time that 195 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,079 Speaker 1: you go to sleep in order to prevent acid reflux. 196 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: What I didn't know, and what no one ever talks about, 197 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:49,679 Speaker 1: is that for some people, it's really hard to go 198 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 1: to bed when you're hungry, and lack of sleep can 199 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:55,240 Speaker 1: cause acid reflux. 200 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 3: The other symptom I noticed was dry eyes. 201 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:00,680 Speaker 1: I started feeling just this, this is comfort in my 202 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: eyes that I had never felt before, and I didn't 203 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: know what was causing it. I started feeling foggy at times, 204 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,239 Speaker 1: mentally foggy, like I couldn't focus, and I felt exhausted, 205 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: but not sleepy. I think the breaking point for me 206 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: ended up being when I developed a tolerance to ambient 207 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: So I called my doctor and her advice to me was, 208 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 1: you know, you're only taking half of the lowest dose, 209 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:28,560 Speaker 1: so just take. 210 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:30,199 Speaker 3: A full pill. 211 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: And I kind of decided right then and there that 212 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 1: this is not going to be the way forward for me. 213 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: So that was kind of my big Eureka moment of 214 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:40,000 Speaker 1: I need to find a better solution. 215 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 2: Doctor Wu has seen many struggle with sleep the same 216 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 2: way Diane has, and she recognizes that when you get 217 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 2: to this breaking point, it can be hard to see 218 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 2: the path out of poor sleep. 219 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 4: To see patients who are really struggling and who really 220 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:58,839 Speaker 4: feel like they've tried everything then feeling kind of hopeless, 221 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:01,320 Speaker 4: to be able to turn that around for them, to 222 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 4: give them optimism and to really help them to re 223 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 4: connect with their sleep really kind of changes their whole life. 224 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 2: You know, there's a famous saying among really busy people, 225 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 2: I'll sleep when I'm dead. 226 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:15,360 Speaker 4: Yep, I heard that. 227 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:17,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm sure you get that a lot. What are 228 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,199 Speaker 2: some of your big highlights for why sleep is so important? Ted? 229 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 2: Do you what do you say to people who say, 230 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 2: you know, I can skimp on sleep and focus on 231 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:25,240 Speaker 2: other things. 232 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:29,079 Speaker 4: Well, to me, sleep is not just the empty space 233 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 4: in between your days, right. Sometimes we think of it 234 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 4: as like, oh, it's just filler. It's just like quiet time, 235 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:37,079 Speaker 4: and if I can squeeze more into my day, how 236 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 4: awesome would that be. But the problem is that if 237 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,839 Speaker 4: you don't sleep well, then you don't have that nourishment, 238 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 4: you don't have that basic foundation for health and well being. 239 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 4: I don't think of it as empty space. I think 240 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:51,319 Speaker 4: of it as water in between continents. You know, it's 241 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:54,679 Speaker 4: the very thing that makes life possible. So we do 242 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 4: need to fill our oceans and make sure that, you know, 243 00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:59,440 Speaker 4: we have the rest that we need, we have the 244 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 4: sleep that we need. 245 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 2: It's amazing how interconnected all of these pieces are within 246 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 2: our brains. It's like a car engine. When everything is 247 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 2: going well, you can just cruise on down the street. 248 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 2: But if you have a bad radiator or one of 249 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,720 Speaker 2: your spark plugs is out of whack, well you might 250 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 2: still get the car from point A to point B, 251 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 2: but it will be a struggle and one that can 252 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 2: become dangerous. So how do you solve a serious sleep 253 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,079 Speaker 2: problem like a journalist, Well, you report on it. 254 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: I sat down with my producers at World News Now, 255 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: and given we were an overnight show, I knew our audience, 256 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: many of them, presumably were struggling with a lot of 257 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:41,800 Speaker 1: the same issues. I knew a lot of my coworkers 258 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,560 Speaker 1: were two for that matter, and so I said, you know, 259 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 1: I want to set out on this mission to fix 260 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 1: my sleep. Do you guys want me to document it? 261 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,959 Speaker 1: And I will find doctors and do whatever they ask 262 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 1: me to do, and we can put together the story 263 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 1: of the things that I try and what works and 264 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: what doesn't, and then we'll bring it to our viewers 265 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:04,240 Speaker 1: and so they can learn from it. 266 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 2: We'll be right back after a brief message from our 267 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 2: partners at Mattress Firm, and now back to chasing sleep. 268 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: In my quest to find a doctor to work with 269 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 1: me to do this whole news story and document my adventure. 270 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: I had learned that cognitive behavioral therapy is the gold 271 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 1: standard treatment for insomnia. Once we finally got this test done, 272 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 1: I got the official insomnia diagnosis. So I started reading 273 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: more and more about CBTI because I knew that that's 274 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 1: what was going to be coming next for me, and 275 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: in the effort to be a very prepared journalist, I 276 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: wanted to get ahead of the game as much as 277 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:52,280 Speaker 1: I could and understand what it is that I was 278 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:53,720 Speaker 1: going to be covering and talking about. 279 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 3: And part of the reason we. 280 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: Experienced insomnia over and over and over again is because 281 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 1: we spend so much time awake and frustrated in bed 282 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:05,160 Speaker 1: that your brain starts to learn that bed is not 283 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: a calm, safe space where we go to be sleepy. 284 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 1: Your brain starts to learn, oh, bed is a stressful 285 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:14,800 Speaker 1: place where we have to be alert. And so going 286 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: to bed triggers this arousal that keeps you awake. It's 287 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: why you feel like you're dozing off on the couch 288 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 1: one second, and then all of a sudden you go 289 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: to go to sleep and boom, you're wide awake and 290 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 1: your brain is going a mile a minute. That's something 291 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: called conditioned arousal. 292 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:30,640 Speaker 2: You don't need to be a news anchor to have 293 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 2: experienced this feeling. Your muscles are sore, your body is 294 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 2: begging for sleep, but you just lie on the bed 295 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:40,040 Speaker 2: and stare at the ceiling. More often than not, this 296 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 2: is the manifestation of the effects of stress on your 297 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 2: sleeping cycle. So now the question is how do we 298 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 2: fix this? Is there anything we can do from our 299 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 2: otherwise comfortable beds to get our minds into sleep mode. 300 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 4: Actually, most of what we can do about this is 301 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 4: what we do outside of bed. So for example, leading 302 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 4: up to bedtime, we really need to have a nice 303 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 4: wind down routine, a buffer zone between the day and 304 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 4: the night, or for people who are working nights between 305 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 4: you know, they're on time versus off time. That might 306 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,440 Speaker 4: be the best way to describe it. So leading up 307 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 4: to bedtime, we need to be switching from doing mode 308 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 4: to being mode. So doing mode is like getting our 309 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 4: chores done, crossing off to do lists, getting the kids 310 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 4: ready for bed, preparing for work, checking emails, you know, 311 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 4: doing all of these things that are goal oriented and 312 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 4: very active. We want to be switching from that mode 313 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 4: to being mode, which is more like getting in touch 314 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 4: with our body, getting in touch with our emotions, kind 315 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 4: of winding down from the day and putting a way 316 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 4: to do lists, putting away sort of goal oriented activities 317 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 4: and really switching more to a grounded, centered kind of mode. 318 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,040 Speaker 4: And to do that, you know, we can really design 319 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 4: our own wind down routines. Often people will have a 320 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 4: nice you know, like bath or shower, skincare routine, get 321 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,880 Speaker 4: into Pj's, cuddle off with the dog, maybe read the 322 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 4: book for a little bit, chat with your partner, but 323 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:12,719 Speaker 4: save you know, big conversations for tomorrow because we're winding 324 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 4: down out. So having that buffer in between your really 325 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:20,199 Speaker 4: on go, go go kind of day versus your relaxing 326 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,880 Speaker 4: and sleepy night is very important. 327 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,560 Speaker 2: The driving forces that push us to calm down and 328 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 2: actually get some rest are so strong, and the unique 329 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:36,359 Speaker 2: stresses of journalism require unique solutions. I was curious, how 330 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,360 Speaker 2: do journalists like Diane take some of the more tragic 331 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 2: or emotional parts of the job and release them in 332 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:44,400 Speaker 2: order to get the amount of rest that they need. 333 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:49,439 Speaker 1: So I think I've just sort of naturally, through the 334 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,720 Speaker 1: course of doing this job for so long, learned that 335 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:55,959 Speaker 1: I need to create a separation to be able to function, 336 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:00,680 Speaker 1: But that doesn't mean that you know, there aren't some 337 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: stories that do affect you in that way. And I 338 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:05,440 Speaker 1: think for me, it's been a lot of just about 339 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 1: just acceptance. 340 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 3: Right. 341 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 1: It's okay if I'm not shedding tears about every story 342 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:15,480 Speaker 1: that I report on air, even if they are a tragedy, 343 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:18,080 Speaker 1: And it's also okay if every now and then there 344 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 1: is one where I do shed tears on air about it. 345 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:22,200 Speaker 3: And you know, if I was. 346 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:24,440 Speaker 1: Crying over every story, that would probably be fine too. 347 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:25,920 Speaker 1: I just think a lot of it is just sort 348 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:30,240 Speaker 1: of accepting what your body needs to do to process 349 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,400 Speaker 1: those emotions, and just to make sure you are acknowledging 350 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 1: them and processing them, which I think I do a technique. 351 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:38,400 Speaker 3: That I have used. 352 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 1: That's not necessarily about separating the sympathy and empathy part 353 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: of things, but more about organizing my thoughts and my 354 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:51,359 Speaker 1: worries and my feeling. Sort of processing all of that 355 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:56,120 Speaker 1: and realizing what I can and can't control. I think 356 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:00,119 Speaker 1: has been a huge part of my sleep recovery. And 357 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,679 Speaker 1: this is a practice called constructive worry, and I often 358 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: just refer to it as a worry list or a 359 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 1: brain dump because it sounds so silly, but you just 360 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:11,680 Speaker 1: you take a notebook and you divide a page down 361 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:13,639 Speaker 1: the center, and on the left hand side of the 362 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,080 Speaker 1: page you just write down anything that's on your mind, 363 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:18,400 Speaker 1: the kind of thing that would keep you awake at night, 364 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:20,679 Speaker 1: or that might wake you up in the middle of 365 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 1: the night. And now your brain starts racing. Write any 366 00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: of that stuff on the page, and then on the 367 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 1: right hand side you write down the very next step 368 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:33,399 Speaker 1: toward resolving that issue. The exercise itself also gets you 369 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: focused on solutions instead of problems. And when you're stuck 370 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:40,760 Speaker 1: in this sort of insomnia cycle where you get into 371 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: a pattern of going to bed and suddenly your brain 372 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:47,680 Speaker 1: starts racing, we often at that time are more susceptible 373 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:52,159 Speaker 1: to catastrophic thinking, and so we often will ruminate on 374 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: problems and it will feel like there's no way out 375 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: of this. And so by doing this exercise, you sort 376 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 1: of retrain your brain into thinking, Okay, problem, solution, what 377 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 1: are we going to do about that, instead of just problem, problem, 378 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:06,920 Speaker 1: Oh my god, problem. And part of the reason why 379 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,760 Speaker 1: we cauldastrophize, at least one of the leading theories on 380 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,879 Speaker 1: it is that the areas of our brain that focus 381 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:17,120 Speaker 1: on things like rational thinking turn off while we're sleeping. 382 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:19,440 Speaker 1: They kind of sleep as well, and so if you're 383 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: awake in the middle of the night, let's say at 384 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:25,200 Speaker 1: a time that you're normally sleeping, that part of your 385 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:29,159 Speaker 1: brain is still asleep. So now you're thinking about your problems, 386 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:31,399 Speaker 1: but without the part of your brain that controls the 387 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 1: irrational thought. That's why it's so much easier to go 388 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,679 Speaker 1: into that spiral in the middle of the night. And 389 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 1: often I found by writing things down, when I look 390 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: at them the next day, it seemed absurd that I 391 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,639 Speaker 1: was so worried about this thing. And I think just 392 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:49,600 Speaker 1: knowing that helps the next time you're in that position 393 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 1: to realize, wow, I think it's the end of the 394 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: world that this thing happened, But it's probably just because it's. 395 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 3: Two o'clock in the morning. 396 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: And I bet, just like last time, when you know 397 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 1: it's nine am, I'm going to realize that this really 398 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: isn't so bad. And sometimes just knowing that can help 399 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:10,680 Speaker 1: turn the temperature down on that anxiety that's keeping you awake. 400 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,639 Speaker 2: Diane's journey to find better sleep took her down a 401 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,960 Speaker 2: path of a lot of research and reporting, and ultimately 402 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 2: she wrote a book. It's called The Sleep Fix Practical, 403 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 2: proven and Surprising Solutions for insomnia, snoring, shift work, and more. 404 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 2: Her goal in writing the book was to help others 405 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 2: learn from her struggles and discoveries so they could find 406 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:35,640 Speaker 2: fixes to their own sleep problems. 407 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 1: I think one of the hardest parts for me was 408 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 1: I didn't know it was anxiety that was keeping me awake. 409 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 1: I was reading all of these articles and all of 410 00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: these things about the temperature in the room and the 411 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:51,960 Speaker 1: perfect bedtime routine and swearing off screens and quitting caffeine, 412 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: and I was trying all of these things. And I 413 00:21:56,119 --> 00:22:00,439 Speaker 1: don't consider myself an anxious person in general, and so 414 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:02,959 Speaker 1: I had no idea that it was anxiety that was 415 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:04,600 Speaker 1: playing such a huge role in. 416 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:05,560 Speaker 3: Why I wasn't sleeping. 417 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: If I had known that, I probably would have sought 418 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:12,639 Speaker 1: out therapy or some you know, other techniques to address that. 419 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 3: But that's not what I was looking for. 420 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: I was looking for sleep solutions, and generally sleep solutions 421 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 1: don't address anxiety. And really, textbook insomnia just means your 422 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 1: arousal levels are too high. It essentially my layman's translation 423 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:28,760 Speaker 1: for it is Insomnia is when you can't sleep because 424 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:31,719 Speaker 1: you can't relax, and there are a number of things 425 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:33,960 Speaker 1: that can do that for you. It can happen if 426 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 1: you're too excited about something, but of course it can 427 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 1: also happen if you're really stressed and worried about something, 428 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 1: and normally if it happens for a long time, it's 429 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,439 Speaker 1: the latter. So for me, the anxiety, you know, in 430 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 1: addressing this sort of fast paced lifestyle and just the 431 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,360 Speaker 1: way that my brain works was something that I kind 432 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:51,920 Speaker 1: of stumbled into accidentally. 433 00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:55,479 Speaker 2: So for our listeners who may be curious about their 434 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:58,119 Speaker 2: own sleep, he adventure, do you have any advice for 435 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 2: how people can assess and may get a better understanding 436 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 2: of their own sleep. 437 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:06,159 Speaker 4: I do recommend that if you're struggling with your sleep, 438 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:09,399 Speaker 4: consult with a sleep specialist, even just to get an 439 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 4: assessment to figure out, you know, is it because of 440 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:15,840 Speaker 4: shift work or do you have another sleep disorder. There 441 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 4: are so many things that we don't know that we 442 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 4: don't know about sleep, So I really caution folks not 443 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 4: to just go down that internet rabbit hole of reading 444 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,440 Speaker 4: loss and lots of articles and self diagnosing. There are 445 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:31,399 Speaker 4: people who also work too hard on their sleep. I 446 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,520 Speaker 4: have lots of insomnia patients, for example, who say they 447 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 4: have the perfect sleep hygiene routine from all these articles 448 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 4: they've read, but now they're trying so hard to perfect 449 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 4: their sleep routine that they are kind of psyching themselves 450 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 4: up and almost creating insomnia anxiety in the evenings for themselves, 451 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:55,400 Speaker 4: and they end up with orthosomnia, which is the condition 452 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 4: of having insomnia because you're working too hard to track 453 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 4: your sleep. Everyone's situation is different, and that's why I 454 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 4: think seeking help from a sleep professional is so important. Meanwhile, 455 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:09,280 Speaker 4: I think listening to our bodies and trusting our bodies 456 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:11,879 Speaker 4: to tell us, like if you feel sleepy, that's your 457 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:14,679 Speaker 4: body trying to tell you something important, and if you 458 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:18,479 Speaker 4: feel awake, that's also a sign that maybe it's not 459 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 4: time to force sleep, it's not the right timing, or 460 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:23,760 Speaker 4: you just don't have enough sleep drive yet. So I 461 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,920 Speaker 4: think listening to your body is a good start, and 462 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 4: consulting with a sleep specialist can kind of take you 463 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 4: all the way. As a news anchor, of course, you 464 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 4: have to be really on right for the cameras, and 465 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 4: you have to be really sharp mentally, you have to 466 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,360 Speaker 4: ask challenging questions to whoever you're interviewing. All of those 467 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:46,439 Speaker 4: things require mental focus, being alert, It requires being to 468 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:49,200 Speaker 4: switch gears in your mind very quickly. All of that 469 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 4: improves when you have better sleep and better circadian functioning. 470 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,280 Speaker 4: So if we can stay on track with our rhythms 471 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 4: and have that good quality sleep, then we can definitely 472 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,119 Speaker 4: function better as a news anchor or a whatever we 473 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 4: do with our lives. 474 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,439 Speaker 2: The drive and determination that allowed Diane to thrive in 475 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 2: the high octane field of journalism is also what allowed 476 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:14,960 Speaker 2: her to fix her sleep when it was veering dangerously 477 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,920 Speaker 2: off track. And with the return of good sleep came 478 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 2: all the health benefits too. 479 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:26,800 Speaker 1: Once I just started to sleep better, all of these things, 480 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:30,119 Speaker 1: like a flywheel now turning in the right direction, started 481 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:30,600 Speaker 1: getting better. 482 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,120 Speaker 3: My acid reflux went away. 483 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:37,399 Speaker 1: My eating habits improved, because when you lack sleep, your 484 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:42,600 Speaker 1: hormones for feeling hungry and feeling satisfied get completely thrown 485 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 1: out of wax. So suddenly I just started eating better 486 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:48,160 Speaker 1: without even trying, as opposed to before I was trying 487 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,200 Speaker 1: all these diets and all these different things to improve 488 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,200 Speaker 1: my eating habits. That just sort of fell into place. 489 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:58,040 Speaker 1: My dry eyes went away, my thought process felt clearer. 490 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 1: I started making better decisions and feeling less tempted by 491 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:05,800 Speaker 1: things like screen time at night. And you just start 492 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 1: to realize how much it all ties together, and if 493 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 1: you can just pull on one thread, sometimes that's enough 494 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,560 Speaker 1: to get everything then moving in the right direction. So 495 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:19,840 Speaker 1: much of this journey for me has been learning to 496 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:21,640 Speaker 1: surrender in many ways. 497 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:22,680 Speaker 3: I can't be. 498 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: The doer, the fixer, the perfectionist here in many ways 499 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:29,439 Speaker 1: I have to learn to let go and now the 500 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:33,480 Speaker 1: ability to sit at this seat for ABC News Live 501 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:37,000 Speaker 1: and have people invite me now not only into their 502 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,160 Speaker 1: homes every day, but their offices every day, the gym 503 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 1: every day, wherever it is that they are watching. 504 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 3: Do you really feel like you form a relationship with 505 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 3: the viewers. 506 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:49,360 Speaker 1: I don't take that lightly, and I feel really privileged 507 00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:50,239 Speaker 1: to be able to do it. 508 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,879 Speaker 2: That's all for this episode. Join me again next week, 509 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 2: when we learn about how healthcare professionals prioritize and schedule 510 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 2: sleep while they're saving lives. We'll hear from an er 511 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 2: doctor in New York City about how he chases sleep 512 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 2: through the stress of changing work schedules and life and 513 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 2: death scenarios. 514 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:16,920 Speaker 5: During residency, I had to do ICU rotations that did 515 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 5: have twenty four to twenty seven hour shifts. Doesn't sound 516 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,080 Speaker 5: possible and I didn't think it was, but somehow you 517 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:23,840 Speaker 5: make it through it. 518 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:28,159 Speaker 2: We want to hear from you. Leave a rating or 519 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,719 Speaker 2: review for our show on your podcast player of choice. 520 00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:35,159 Speaker 2: You can find me on Twitter at Anahad O'Connor. Until 521 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,399 Speaker 2: next time, hoping you're living your best while sleeping your best. 522 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,960 Speaker 2: Chasing Sleep is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with 523 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,920 Speaker 2: Mattress Firm. Our executive producer is Molly Sosha, our EP 524 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:50,880 Speaker 2: of post is Matt Stillo, our producer is Sierra Kaiser, 525 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,400 Speaker 2: and this show is hosted by Anahad O'Connor.