The Most Important Thing Most Americans Misunderstand About Insomnia

Plain English with Derek Thompson

The Ringer

News Commentary, News

4.8 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2023

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I am fascinated by sleep and also—perhaps, relatedly—not very good at it. Like tens of millions of Americans, I've had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep for most of my life. I also know that sleep is the glue that holds together health—a fact that sometimes haunts me as I toss and turn at night. Behind the fitness and health fads, what's the truth about insomnia? How dangerous is it? When do we know when we have a problem? How is it different from sleep deprivation? What have we learned about sleep in the last few decades that's most important for average people to remember? Dr. Jade Wu, a behavioral sleep medicine specialist and researcher at Duke University School of Medicine and the author of 'Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications,' explains how the modern panic about sleep and insomnia misunderstands some fundamental facts. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at [email protected]. You can find us on TikTok at www.tiktok.com/@plainenglish_ Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Dr. Jade Wu Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:17.5	This episode is brought to you by Nike.
0:20.2	It's packed to score season, and you and your child might be feeling a bit anxious.
0:25.0	As a parent, you're the best team mate for your mini-me, and together, you can use sport
0:29.2	to help overcome anxiety.
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0:45.4	This is the sound of a grade 8's harpist who also has time to run their own bakery.
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0:57.5	So suppliers can never pull on their strings.
1:00.6	Get peace of mind, get quick books, not available on self-employed.
1:06.2	Today's episode is about sleep.
1:09.9	Some of the episodes you do on the show come from my curiosity about the world,
1:14.7	and some of them come from my curiosity about my own life.
1:18.5	This episode belongs firmly in both categories.
1:21.0	This is research, and this is research.
1:24.2	I am fascinated by sleep, and also, perhaps, relatedly, not very good at it.
	...

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