Is political stress wrecking your sleep — and your relationships?

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This article was originally posted on beyondthepoliticsofcontempt.com and is shared here.

I’m really happy with how this podcast came out, and wanted to share some highlights with you (a bit courageously as it does get personal). Like me, Dr. Alison Kole is a sleep doctor. Like me, Alison created a new path in her career as I have done with writing, advocacy, and science communication. Alison is the host of the podcast, Sleep is My Waking Passion.

Alison Kole’s podcast can be found HERE

First— Pivoting to being an author of Beyond the Politics of Contempt with co-authors Doug Teschner and Becky Robinson, and moving to Vermont has definitely been a “leap before I look” moment. My husband and I continue to work part-time for Vanderbilt Health, where I directed a sleep division for 21 years. Since moving to New England two years ago, I’ve met many interesting people and had incredible experiences. My world has expanded and as Alison says- -it’s been a “wild fun ride.” I am immensely grateful to have had this opportunity. It’s a great lesson for anyone, whether you want to write books or do anything else. You can create your own path. Remember life is short so seize the day.

Second— Living in our current political moment can be stressful (no kidding!) Alison and I explore how outrage-driven culture, social media algorithms, and the 24-hour news cycle are affecting us negatively, with an emphasis on sleep. We refer to “doomscrolling insomnia” which includes looking at politically-charged posts before bed… rather than your friends’ puppies pics. Once they notice you are looking at those outrage-filled posts, the AI algorithms get into the mix and feed you more! And your well-meaning friends can be sucked in too…

I related the story of my son who wrote an editorial for his student newspaper during COVID-19 commending his University President for opening up classes. Next thing I knew, one of my friends commented “HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN!!! THEY ARE PUTTING VULNERABLE PEOPLE AT RISK!!!!!” and then my other friends joined the Facebook bloodbath, either attacking or supporting my friends and their comments. I finally had to ask everyone to take down their posts, thinking next time I would stick with the puppy pics…

Third— Conversations take time to ripen. Like my experiences with my friend who was on the “other side politically”— we didn’t immediately immerse ourselves in intense discussions about what we believed on abortion. climate change, immigration. and other controversial topics. We first got to know each other, and bonded over music. I’ve learned the wisdom of getting to know people as fellow humans first and then sharing my point of view second.

Bonus— How I integrate my bridging work back into my career as a health advocate, and science communicator. We get into the nuance of a hot-button topic— Daylight Saving Time. In 2022, I had the honor of testifying before the US House of Representatives in 2022 on the health advantages of year-round Standard Time. The US House has passed the Sunshine Protection Act to enact Daylight Saving Time year-round and the Senate is considering the legislation. Like many other sleep specialists and other health professionals, I’ve argued that morning light, promoted by year-round Standard Time, is essential to align our body clocks with the outside world, promoting sleep and myriad other aspects of physical and mental health,

Yet taking my bridging work to heart, I’ve embraced the approach of hearing out people who want light at the end of the day- -which daylight saving time provides. I’m curious about their point of view. Even if I continue to believe that winter sunrises past 9 am in some parts of the country, which we would have under year-round Daylight Saving Time, are detrimental to health, it’s important to hear opposing views. They need to poke holes in our arguments so we can figure out as a country the best path forward, considering all options open to us.

Finally, Alison asked me what the biggest thing I changed about myself in co-authoring Beyond the Politics of Contempt I realized that I needed to listen and learn from EVERYONE— passionate progressives, Trump supporters, and also those who have disengaged from social media and politics — as we need to learn from all perspectives.

Here’s the recording of the podcast. I welcome your comments!