Ted Audio Collective I'm looking at my bedside table

and I have one, two, three, I'm asked. I have some melatonin. I have some

zolpedem in case of emergencies. I have a bag full of ear plugs. A fear to not be a great sleeper.

This is our editor, Sarah. Lately I wake up in the middle of the night

and I lie in my bed and I think am I sleeping? Am I sleeping now? Should I be sleeping? I should be

sleeping. Am I sleeping? The anxiety can absolutely take over and then it's like a rock rolling down

a hill. So why did you start worrying about your sleep? You know what might have started me getting

stressed out about sleep a little bit? I had like many people a fit bit some number of years ago

and it had a kind of sleep monitoring aspect where it would tell you like how how you were sleeping,

how you slept. I do think sometimes I woke up and felt like I slept fine and it said that I

tossed and turned a lot and then I think I started worrying like oh am I not sleeping well when

I think I am? It made me not trust my sleep. Why are you worried about how you sleep and not how

you sweat? Maybe because I'm not conscious for when it's happening. Like maybe because it is a

mystery? Yeah it's a mystery, sleeps a mystery. Sleep is mysterious. It's also easy to worry about

because it's so important when we can't sleep we feel awful and are desperate for help.

But lately it feels like our fascination with sleep has gone too far. Do a quick internet

search and you'll find a slew of articles about how to make your sleep perfect and productive.

Even worse you might find claims that if you're not sleeping right you won't live as long.

You'll get all kinds of diseases so stay away from blue light. Don't drink caffeine in the afternoon.

Buy this supplement. Get that fancy alarm clock. Try this pillow. This matters. It goes on and on

and on. And if you're already struggling with sleep it's hard to get clear guidance on what

will really help. Honestly I'm a doctor and it's hard for me to sort through the noise.

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