1073 – Sleepy Science of Happiness Crossover

Notable Language:

• Making an analogy out of OG
• A different duvet schedule
• Drape your dog in blankets

Notable Culture:

• Science of Happiness Podcast
• Severance by Ling Ma
• Rapunzel

Notable Talking Points:

• Do dogs even have lips?
• Went to a concert – it was fun to see my daughter rocking out
• I live across the street from industrial activity

Episode 1073- Sleepy Science of Happiness Crossover

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER:    Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster who’s surrounded by moving blankets that aren’t going anywhere.  I don’t know if I’ve ever used that as an opener before, but I just realized it.  Does that change the nature of their being?  They’re not…they’re present blankets.  I’m surrounded with moving blankets, and I don’t want to call them dampening blankets; they’re absorbing and reflecting sound at the same time.  I don’t know how they do it, but I’m so proud of them.  So happy to be working with these moving blankets.  Thank you so much for making it possible.  If you’re confused or you say what is this…wait a second…but he’s kinda right.  There’s the thing; we’re only moving blankets one-millionth of our life.  Most of the time we’re lounging around or on the walls of a podcaster’s climb-in closet, ‘cause it’s time for Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.  Thanks, patrons.

 

INTRO:    [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing?  Trouble getting to sleep?  Trouble staying asleep?  Well, welcome.  This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.  We do it with a bedtime story.  Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press play.  I’m gonna do the rest.  What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake, whether it’s thoughts you’re thinking about, thoughts on your mind, so thoughts; they could be about the past or the present or the future.  Feelings, anything you’re feeling emotionally or physically, changes in time, temperature, routine, stuff, people, like other people sleeping soundly, other people sleeping…they say sleeping soundly, but why…holy punchline that doesn’t have a joke.

 

Why is it so loud, right?  I mean, you’re…it’s…you say, sleeping soundly?  It’s only soundly…it’s not…you’re…soundly for you, ‘cause you’re not hearing any sounds, but you’re generating a whole lot of sounds.  Has there ever been a parody cover of…there’s the song Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On, right?  I think I once…I think the only time I’ve ever heard it is in a animatronic at a theme park.  But maybe it was at the New York State Fair.  But what did I say?  Whole lotta snoring going on.  Actually, in my bed, if there was ever some sort of anthropomorphized being in my bed, one, don’t tell me about…they say, that’s con…I’d say well, yeah, that’s confusing.  But if there was anybody in there do…running…any scientists running observations or some sort of instrument, it would say there’s a whole lot of shaking going…I mean…oh, wait…I had…not even think of that; I’m sorry.

 

Not that kind of shaking.  Unfortunately not that kind of shaking.  That is a whole ‘nother layer of ridiculousness that we…I’m not…I did not unintentionally fall into that hole, but my bed…there’s…man, now I can’t even say it.  Now I just feel embarrassed because all the shaking going on in my bed is because I’m…a whole lot of…well, yeah, a whole lot of thrashing going on, which shakes the bed.  I always wake up and I’m like, what happened in the last…?  Even when I’m…whether I’m sleeping good or not.  I mean, I have a weighted comforter and first of all, that weighted…if weighted comforters could talk, mine would say boring.  You know, it’s like, sleep…but it would also say they designed me so I stay well-distributed, but not in Scoots’ hands; oh, no.  All my beads are going into one place.

 

But yeah, it’s like…it’s still, when I’m recording this, seasonably cold.  Or, I don’t know if you can say that, but it’s in the cold season.  I think I’m still in technically winter.  I don’t…I keep my room cool, so I have my sheets, then I have a weighted comforter with a duvet, then I have another comforter with a duvet, and then if I need another thing, then I have a blanket.  Not a blankie.  I use a pillow…I think I use one of my pillows as more of a blankie.  But somehow, most mornings, that’s not what I end up with.  I don’t know…what was my point?  I don’t even think I got…did I even start the intro to the podcast?  Sorry, if you’re new.  I went off-topic really…a whole lot of…oh, ‘cause I was saying whatever’s keeping you awake; it could be a snoring partner or a talking partner or a dog.

 

This actually doesn’t bother me, but when Koa gets babysat, one of her babysitters says she smacks her lips all night long.  I say great job, Koa, but don’t do it when I’m here.  I don’t necessarily hear that, but that could be another thing keeping you awake.  Maybe it wakes me up once in a while.  I say, do…here’s another question; I guess they do have lips, but I don’t think she’s smacking her lips.  I think it’s probably some other sound.  So, okay, so where are we?  If you’re here, you may be saying where am I?  How did I…how did you get here?  Probably through a podcast app, probably from some sort of recommendation.  Maybe it was human, maybe it was a recommendation engine.  I don’t even know what that is, but I hear about it.  But whatever it is, I’m glad you’re here.  Let me give you some information.

 

Whatever’s keeping you awake, I’m here to take your mind off of that and keep you company so you can fall asleep.  I’m trying to move forward instead of going on another tangent about dog lips or anything else, or…you’ve gotta move past…I mean, I do…I’m thrashing all night long.  I’m like…they say…it’s like, if my sheets could talk, they’d say it’s kind of like a heavy metal concert in the bed, but really not…you may be picturing something more interesting.  It’s like a heavy metal concert with the thrashing around, but not any of the other stuff, or definitely not any of the lifestyle in this here bed.  So, whatever’s keeping you awake, it could be…whatever it is, I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep.  The way I propose to do that is I’m gonna send my voice across the deep, dark night.

 

I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents, all to keep you company so that you could fall asleep, to take your mind off of stuff.  So, that means my voice is a little bit strange, I go off-topic, I get mixed up.  So if you’re new, I’m glad you’re here.  This podcast is very different and it’s not what most people expect when they first tune in.  If you found your way here, it does take a few tries to get used to this show.  That’s what hundreds of thousands of people say.  Maybe it’s more.  I think it’s more than that, but they say it took two or three tries ‘til I realized there’s not a whole lot of shaking going on in between…at all in this podcast.  There’s a whole lot of meanders going on, but not a whole lot of…there’s not…it’s a podcast…they said I realized I didn’t have to listen anymore, and that’s what I love about it.

 

But I kindly…kinda barely listen.  So give it a few tries if you’re new and just see how it goes.  But the idea of this podcast is that I’m here to keep…take your mind off of stuff and keep you…so, this isn’t a podcast you so much listen to as it plays kind of in the background, but then you kinda could listen to it if you need to to keep you company, like calling a friend, but there’s no pressure for you to listen to your friend.  If you were to call a friend and you say, I don’t know, tell me a story about giant spice-based beings that are friendly and that benefit from healthy expression of our emotions and joy in the form of dance and expression.  You’d say, I’m already asleep.  You say, well, aren’t you placing the order?

 

I say, the…yeah, but Scooter’s just trying to make an analogy and he made an…he made a first part of him and you said oh gee, there goes Scoots again making a analogy out of…oh, gee.  So, it’s a podcast you just barely listen to.  Now, you could listen.  If you can’t sleep or you need a break during the day, I’m here to the very end to keep you company.  That’s my primary job, is to make the deep, dark night less lonely.  But because I’m here to make it less lonely, doesn’t…you don’t have to keep me company.  I’m here to keep you company, to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-cuz, your bore-bestie, your bore-bor, your neigh-bore, your bore-friend in the deep, dark night, so you don’t have to listen to me.  I also don’t really put you to sleep.  I’m here to keep you company while you drift off.

 

So, that kinda goes with that other stuff, is eventually you’ll…I’ll talk to you about the structure of the show in a minute, but you just kinda slowly tune me out, just like people in my personal life; my dog, my bedding, the anthropomorphized imaginary scientist that’s running studies in my bed.  Maybe one day she’ll take my calls, but she’s miniaturized in order…but she has one of those cybernetic suits or something, so if I’m…when I’m thrashing about…it’s kinda like a deep-sea…she’s like a deep-sea diver.  The deep-sea diver…isn’t that a song?  The Deep-Sea Diver That Lives In My Bed Who’s A Scientist Who’s Taking…she said it’s beyond seismic, because seismic only does…she goes, we need to…when we’re measuring what’s going on in here, we don’t need anything.  We don’t need any measurements.

 

But no, really; she says no, no, we need all the axis to measure this because it’s such a…you know.  Then she says, I’m just humoring Scooter.  We’re not measure…I’m just…I’m just a fig…believe it or not, I’m just a figment of his imagination, here to make…he’s trying to make a point, but don’t tell him that.  He really believes I live in his bed in a diving bell and a submarine.  I’d hate to let him down.  He does also send me love letters, but that…none of that actually happens.  It just happened in my imagine…I say wait a second, I could…this could be a hobby.  So, whatever’s keeping you awake, I’m here to keep you company, take your mind off of stuff, and help you fall asleep.  I can’t even remember how I got…where…seismic thrashing…oh, you don’t really have to listen to me, but I’m here to keep you company.

 

I don’t know what tangent I…how I got there, but the other things, if you’re new…one, yeah, give it a…like I said, give it a few tries.  There’s no pressure for you to like the show.  It does not work for everybody because it’s so different.  The reason I make the show, though, is because you’re important and your good sleep is important, or you getting a good night’s sleep is important, because I’ve been there tossing, turning, mind racing, trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep.  I can’t sleep.  So, that’s one problem that I deal with.  The other thing is that you deserve a good night’s sleep.  You deserve a bedtime that’s less lonely.  Even if you’re sleeping some…sleeping in the bed with somebody other than an imaginary, tiny scientist in a…like that whole story.  I guess this episode will be about that.

 

I guess I have to go with it.  I mean, it just makes…it’s just a good title; The Tiny Scientist That Lives In My Bed.  I’d like to hear from her because, I mean, there’s…you say it’s gonna be a two-minute episode.  I say well, that’s…it sounds like Sleep With Me.  Then she just giggled when I said that.  I said oh, okay, I get it, I get it.  Funny, hilarious.  Who would have thought I have such figments of my imagination that give me a hard time?  But that’s what I do what I do.  So, what was my point?  Oh, I’m here to keep you company so that you could fall asleep, because your sleep’s important.  You having a bedtime routine that feels less lonely is important because if you’re getting the sleep you need and you deserve, your world’s gonna be a better place.  Your life’s gonna be more manageable, and that’s important to me.  So, yeah.

 

So, that’s important to me.  What else is important is…I don’t know what else is…oh, structure of the show, telling new listeners about the structure of the show.  So, the structure definitely is what throws most people off.  The tone of the show throws people off, my personality, and then the structure of the show.  So, structurally, the show is built in a very specific way.  Believe it or not, it takes multiple work weeks of hours to make one episode of Sleep With Me at this point, but it’s…that’s so it feels effortless, but it’s designed in a very specific way.  So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.  Then I say something goofy so that you feel ideally seen and welcomed in, and you say okay, this is a place I could check out and maybe fall asleep in.  I get it.

 

Then there’s support, support for the show so it can come for free twice a week wherever you want to listen to it.  That’s critical, the sponsors and the listeners who buy memberships of the podcast or pay for a membership on a monthly basis or a annual basis.  Then there’s support for listeners, then there’s support for communities around the show, because that also helps the show stay sustainable to me.  That’s what keeps me coming back, is helping people fall asleep and then using the show to help other people.  Yeah, it’s just what’s important to me.  Then there’s the intro.  Now, this is where people get strong feelings.  They think the sponsorship and the self-congratulations or whatever and the community and the intro are the same thing, but they’re not.  The intro is a show within a show.

 

I mean, holy cow, what a show we had tonight.  I mean, I could…might have…be able to stop the podcast after this.  See what happened?  Scoots got married, stopped the podcast.  He had himself miniaturized which hadn’t been invented yet, so we don’t even know actually what happened to him.  We know what happened; he believes he was miniaturized, but he wasn’t.  He married…apparently there’s a scientist that lives in his bedding.  He thinks it’s his bed, but it’s technically his bedding.  So, really, he’s sitting in his bed in flippers and a scuba suit.  So, yeah, that’s what’s going on with him.  But what was my point?  Oh, structure of the show?  Oh, so, the intro goes on and on and on.  It’s a show within a show, but it…the idea of the intro is for most listeners, it’s the wind-down before you fall asleep.

 

It’s the getting ready for bed, it’s the bedtime routine, it’s the twilight period.  It’s the interstitial or whatever between your day, your evening, and falling asleep.  Now, there is a small percentage of listeners that fall asleep during the intro, there’s 2%, 3%, that skip the intro or listen to story-only episodes on Patreon, and there’s people that are drifting off, and that is great for everybody.  But for a lot of listeners, it’s…eases you into bedtime.  That’s why the intro goes on and on and on.  That’s just how we’ve designed the show over the years for…this show just happens to work for the people it works for.  Doesn’t work for everybody, and I totally understand that.  So…and yeah…oh yeah, you could skip ahead, start the show at twenty minutes or something, but that’s the intro.

 

Then there will be business again so the show can be free twice a week wherever you want to listen to it, over 450 episodes available for you to listen to for free whenever you want them, so that’s…I don’t know.  Most people that listen to a lot of episodes listen to multiple ones a night, so it’s not a year…it’s over a year if you’re…listen to one episode, but some people listen to eight episodes or whatever.  So, that…the business…the support supports that.  Then there will be a story.  I thought it was going to be our episodically modular series tonight, but oh no, no.  I gotta see where this goes.  But yeah, I don’t know…it’s going nowhere fast, but we’ll find out.  Maybe I’ll get her backstory.  I mean, how do you get hired…like, what kind of grant do you need?  Oh, an imaginary grant.  She’s participating already.

 

I’m very happy.  So, I’m glad you’re here.  Oh no, sorry, so there will be a story, then there’s thank-yous at the end.  I got distracted.  I was about to propose.  But I’ll be in bed anyway.  Probably would…it probably would be some sort of…it probably won’t work out.  I mean, I guess I shouldn’t get my…I should temper my expectations because if you’re a scientist studying me, obviously…I mean, obviously being around me, I’m sure there’s some…you were like, you already developed feelings about me.  Maybe not attracted feelings, but it would interrupt in your job, so I guess I gotta temper my expectations.  I’ll just have a crush on you instead of…I mean, right?  Or is there…do you have a code?  Do you have a bedding…oh, get to the end of the intro.  Wow.  It’s like we’re already together.

 

So, okay, so that’s the story, then there will be thank-yous at the end.  It’s all to keep you company so you can fall asleep.  Very silly, very silly and strange.  That’s what helps the people it helps.  Give it a few tries, see if it can work for you, but I’m glad you’re here.  I work really hard.  I yearn and I strive, and I really hope I can help you fall asleep.  Thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple of ways I’m able to be here for you free twice a week.

 

Alright everybody, this is a really cool episode coming up here, and kind of a opportunity of great synchronicity.  You probably heard me in the Supporter Zone talk about the Science of Happiness Podcast.  This is a crossover episode with that podcast.  It is an absolutely amazing podcast.  I highly suggest you check out not only the episode on sleep that I was lucky enough to be on, but all their episodes.  They really are in sync with the spirit of this show and living a life of dignity, respect, compassion, and empathy for yourself and for other people in a journey of discovering what that is and how do we apply it in our lives so that everyone can flourish.  So, I’m really excited about this crossover episode and it kinda happened in a really interesting way.

 

So, what you’re gonna hear here is I’m gonna go through some tips they gave me to do as a nightly practice, like dos and don’ts, sleep hygiene stuff, then you’re gonna hear four nights of me audio journaling about it, then you’re gonna hear a traditional Sleep With Me episode that was recorded before this partnership came up, but it was just so in sync with this that I was like oh, this is perfect that all this advice and lead-in can lead in to the rest of this episode.  It’s just a perfect connection.  Then you have one of these Trending Tuesday-style episodes where I used records that I had bought sight-unseen in a big, plastic bag as the randomness of records, talking about bedding and the science of bedding, or the scientist that lives in my bedding.

 

So, yeah, without further ado…so, the team at the Science of Happiness sent me this set of tips that I kinda started to practice over a few weeks and that I’ve been using.  Some of it you may be familiar with, some of it you may not be, but this is all from Dr. Eti Ben Simon.  Some dos; avoid alcohol and caffeine after 2:00 PM.  That helps unmask your true biological sleep needs.  Keep your lights dim in the evening and limit access to LED lights after 9:00 PM.  Go to sleep as soon as you feel tired, even if you’re in the middle of something.  This has a…also a note; this is gonna help you figure out the earliest window it is physiologically possible for you to fall asleep, and four, do not use an alarm clock to wake up.  I realize not all of this is totally possible, and you’ll kinda hear it in my audio journal, too.

 

Some other tips; do get outside at least thirty minutes a day.  Ideally spend time outside in the morning, somewhere where you’re looking East.  This helps the sensors in your eyes get the sunlight your body needs to keep its Circadian rhythm which helps you sleep.  Two; go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.  This helps your body keep your Circadian rhythm which helps you sleep.  If you don’t get good sleep one night, don’t try to make up for it the next day by sleeping in late or going to bed early.  Keep your schedule.  Three; create a relaxing routine for yourself to wind down about thirty minutes before going to bed.  According to sleep researcher Matthew Walker…likes going to sleep to landing a plane, not flipping a switch.

 

Just like on this show, we talked about that for a long time, having a landing strip.  It’s a process that takes time.  You might try meditating, reading a book, or listening to a relaxing podcast.  You want to limit your caffeine and nicotine intake.  Both of those make it harder to sleep, diminish the quality of your sleep.  You want to limit your alcohol intake which also diminishes sleep quality.  You want to get exercise each day if you can.  This can help your body maintain its Circadian rhythm.  You could take a hot bath or a shower before bed.  This actually helps lower your body temperature which can help you sleep.  This one I definitely use now, is keep a worry journal.  This can help you settle your thoughts so it’s easier to wind down for sleep, but it’s important to do it two hours before trying to sleep.

 

Also, talk to your doctor if you’re taking medications.  Talk to your GP or your doctor about how those might be affecting your sleep and rule out any other factors.  Get a checkup and see how you can adjust your routine.  Also, don’t watch TV before bed.  This stimulates your brain a bit too much and makes it harder to sleep.  Don’t bring technology into a bed.  Though they say here, there is a case to be made for listening to a calming podcast.  Not my words.  Three; exercise less than two hours before bed.  This makes it…so, don’t exercise less than two hours before bed.  That makes it harder for your body to wind down.  Don’t drink liquids two hours before bed so you don’t have to get up, and don’t lie in bed trying to fall asleep.  This can make you anxious and actually have…make it diff…more difficult to get sleepy.

 

Instead, do something relaxing somewhere else, and when you feel ready to sleep, go back to bed.  You might have to repeat this multiple times.  So, that’s the advice.  You could listen to the show, which is gonna be much different than this.  It was a amazing, amazing time I had there, being interviewed and doing this journal, learning more about sleep, and just talking about sleep, one of my favorite things to talk about other than me.  Me and sleep; those are my two favorite subjects.  So yeah, we’ll go into Scoots’ audio journal here and then we’ll have a bedtime story, a interview with an imaginary sleep scientist who lives in my bedding, and yeah, that’ll be it.  Thanks everybody, and make sure to check out the Science of Happiness Podcast wherever you consume your podcasts.  Thanks.

 

Alright, this is Drew from Sleep With Me.  It is Monday night and I’m going through…I think the last piece of caffeine I had was…I think the last thing I…with caffeine I had was about 1:50 PM.  I finished a diet Dr. Pepper.  I’m trying to start my bedtime routine now.  Did I say…?  I think it’s like, 8:30.  I’m hoping to be asleep…sound asleep by 10:30.  Wish me luck.  I’m gonna do a recorded worry list.  I’m already worried because I didn’t write it out ahead of time, but I know the top of my worry list is that my parents are coming to stay with me this weekend.  I have no idea when I’m gonna get my apartment clean.  I have literally no idea, because I’m working a lot this week.  So, I’m pretty worried about that because…but I also know okay, I’m just gonna try to do it in five-minute chunks, maybe fifteen-minute chunks.

 

How clean do I have…?  You know.  Oh, if my mom and dad are listening, don’t worry; I’m not worried about it.  I’m not worried about your commenting about the cleanliness of my apartment or the…my organizational skills, but I am.  So that’s at the top of my worry list.  We’ll see on Wednesday night what my worries are, ‘cause I’m taking my daughter to a concert.  I have no idea what time I’m gonna get to bed, so I’m already worried about that.  I’m a little bit worried if I’m gonna fall asleep tonight, so I’m glad it’s about two hours.  What else am I worried about?  Oh, taxes are coming up, so I don’t know…I think they’re…those are supposed to be done Monday.  I got no idea where I’m at with that, but I’m not…that…not too…well, I’m not worried about it anymore.  Yeah, I think that about covers it for right now.

 

I mean, I have a general…I have about ten thousand other things that could be on my worry list, but those are the top hits right now.  We’ll see where we’re at tomorrow.  Just looking over this list; so, I haven’t had any caffeine, don’t drink any alcohol, I don’t think I’ve had access to any LED lights.  I got until 9:00 PM.  Go to sleep as soon as you’re…feel tired.  Okay, I’m waiting for that to kick in.  I do have to use an alarm tomorrow ‘cause I have to get my daughter up, but I’m pretty good at waking up the same time every day.  Tomorrow would be…6:30 AM is when I would get up.  I will start my wind-down routine about thirty minutes before going to bed.  I’m sure we’ll cover this later, but personally, I like to start my wind-down routine about an hour before bed, but I have a daughter and I’m…I also have to make sure she’s getting ready for bed and starting her wind-down routine.

 

So, that’s it.  I’m looking forward…no TV.  I’m not gonna watch any TV tonight.  I usually don’t have time for that.  I’m reading a book, Severance by Ling Ma, so I’m looking forward to reading that as a part of my wind-down routine.  I did drink some liquid, but I still got about two hours before going to sleep, so hopefully that won’t cause me any wakey-wakey-poos later.  So, I’m looking forward to going to bed when I feel tired, which ideally, brain, if you’re listening, or Circadian rhythm part of me, will be in two…like, less…I hope I get…if I had to have a wishlist instead of a worry list, it would be that I’m sleepy.  If you’re listening, Circadian rhythm, around…in about forty-five minutes, can we get tired then and then we’ll be sound asleep by 10:30?  Is it a deal?  Maybe.  Okay, thanks.

 

I’ll talk to you tomorrow, everybody.  Alright everybody, it’s Drew from Sleep With Me Podcast again.  Hello, good evening, everyone.  It is about 7:30 PM and I haven’t had any caffeine after 2:00 PM.  I think the last thing I had, once again, was one of those…it was a beverage with caffeine around 1:00 PM.  I’m gonna keep my lights dim in the evening, I’m going to do my best…I already did my online learning.  I’m trying to learn Spanish online on my phone.  I already did that, so I don’t got…like, I don’t want to…so that way, I’m not trying to do that at 9:00 PM tonight.  Oh, by the way, update; thanks limbic brain or whoever it was.  I slept really good last night.  Thanks for asking.  I think it was the wind down.  I really did…I’m not being facetious, either.  Not only that, I woke up before my alarm at 6:10 AM.

 

I was supposed to get up at 6:30, and I guess I don’t…double-check the rules, here…I did say I’m just gonna lay here and close my eyes.  I wasn’t expecting to fall back asleep, but I did.  I got that sweet extra twenty minutes.  I’ve been outside today, so I got some sun.  I usually…I didn’t talk about this last night, but I do open my blinds as soon as I wake up.  I have curtains and blinds to keep my room super dark.  I guess that’s kinda like a sleep hygiene humble brag there.  Sorry about that.  What else?  I gotta…I guess I gotta get to…I’m just procrastinating about my worry log, so worried about getting my apartment clean.  I did pick up for ten minutes today, but like I said, it’s seven something.  I still have to record one more thing for the podcast I make to put people to sleep, but I do…I will find it unwinding.

 

Then I was gonna take a warm shower and get my windows open.  It’s a cool night here, so I have that.  So, a worry journal; no more procrastinating.  I am worried that I’m gonna get my apartment clean for when my parents are here.  I’m also worried about tomorrow night.  I’m taking my daughter to a concert for her birthday and I’m worried about Thursday morning ‘cause I say oh boy, is that gonna mess up my sleep and her sleep?  Then also, I just…before I started recording this, I had pitched…maybe people relate to this; I don’t know.  It’s worrying me.  I pitched a podcast idea to just a small non-profit group I work with and it didn’t…the pitch did not go well.  I had to pitch from Zoom into a room full of people and I was…I got really nervous.

 

I should have probably done a worry before…that I was worrying before.  A large group of…even though you’re listening to a podcast, I think the majority of the people in the room, they…I said…then I tried to…they didn’t know what a podcast was, then I tried to reframe it as audio that you could listen to online.  I even used the words ‘central repository of information’ and it was like crickets on the other end.  So, that didn’t…so, I guess that’s worrying.  But here’s the thing, I can balance it back out right now because I tried.  I gave it a shot.  So, I’m worried but I don’t need to…it’s just how I’m feeling.  Any other worries?  Thanks for asking.  There’s probably other ones down there somewhere in the primordial ooze within me, but those are my top three for now.

 

Yeah, so I’m gonna try to get this recording done and then I’m gonna start my wind-down routine and get ready for rest.  Thanks.  Okay, it’s Drew from Sleep With Me.  It’s like, 11:41, which is two hours after I would normally be doing my…starting my wind-down routine.  So yeah, my worry list; still worried about getting my apartment clean.  Also worried because I…driving to school schedule may have changed.  That was when I was gonna clean.  I have a Zoom that I have to lead tomorrow or help out behind-the-scenes…like, the leader…help out behind-the-scenes.  Last week I did it and it was a total…it didn’t go well.  I could not figure out how to unmute myself, post something in the chat, and display flyers that were .jpegs and PDFs at the same time, and basically shut down.  I think I was…and it was a 400-person Zoom.

 

So, I have that tomorrow.  I think I figured out all those wrinkles.  So, those are my worries.  Really had fun doing my daughter’s birthday.  Went to a concert and it was fun watching her and rocking out to the concert.  I don’t know if that’s what they say anymore, but…what did they say?  Slaps; the concert really slapped.  But it did, it was fun.  So, yeah, I’m gonna try to wind…then I’m hoping I can wind down, but you know, I’ve been so busy.  Yeah, at the concert.  I also had two sugar cookies on the drive home.  I don’t know, I didn’t see that on the list.  Oh, last night I slept very well, thank you.  The wind-down routine went well.  I woke up again about 6:10, dozed back off until 6:30 when my alarm did wake me up, opened my window, got some air, got some sun, had some intense dreams.

 

I normally keep a journal by my bed, but I couldn’t find it.  Yeah.  We’ll see you tomorrow night.  Thanks, everybody.  Okay, it’s Drew from Sleep With Me.  It’s later than I had planned; it’s 9:45 and it’s a little later than my normal…I’m late on the worries.  Let’s see, what am I worried about?  I did make some progress in doing some cleaning.  I would say it’s realistic that I will get it done by Saturday morning or during Saturday morning, between tomorrow and…yeah.  So, that’s less of a worry.  I am coming to be…to do the interview for this…what I’m practicing, talking about right now, which brings up a fresh set of worries.  What time should I leave for the interview?  Because I’m going there from where I live, which is…so I say, should I leave at thirty minutes early?  What’s parking gonna be like?  Will it be fine?

 

My brain says no.  How will they…then after I figure that out, then I’ll start worrying about the interview itself.  Will I be…can I be present?  Will I be nervous?  Will I be…hopefully I’ll be of service to the wonderful audience, but other…yeah, I got family stuff this weekend, but I’m not too worried about it.  Try to keep my worries…I don’t know.  So, that’s my worry list.  Again, normally…almost every night I’m worried if I’m gonna fall asleep, to be honest.  I think that’s probably relatable.  I finished Severance, a book I was reading by Ling Ma last night.  It was excellent.  It was actually better…the book was better than excellent, to be honest.  That was satisfactory.  Oh, so let’s…oh, update on last night, of course.

 

So, I did not get a full night’s sleep, but I went to bed later than normal because I…I did do somewhat of a wind-down routine.  So, I meditated with my daughter for…we did a three-minute meditation and then I read my book and I realized I didn’t…I couldn’t…I said, am I gonna…is this…am I gonna finish this…is this chapter gonna be the end of the novel or is it gonna be the end of the chapter?  I said let’s go for it, and then I kinda felt like I said okay, this feeling like it’s coming to a conclusion here, and it’s…so, wonderful.  So, I’m gonna have to start a new book tonight.  Wish me luck.  But that’s about it for now, or I guess that’s it.  I’m gonna carry this on.  I have tried to limit my LED exposure.  I will try not to use my phone now, because it’s 9:45.  It would be great if I was asleep by 10:30 or 11.

 

You hear that…you hear that, Circadian brain?  Limbic brain?  How about that?  Could we be asleep in the next forty-five minutes?  Well, let’s be…you’re right.  Can…adult…be a realistic…could we…let’s see where we’re at, how about that?  We’ll all get together in forty-five minutes and we’ll see, and we’ll just do our best.  But I’m…I’ve really enjoyed these new practices and I don’t know if anybody’s from Sleep With Me…the listeners of Sleep With Me show are listening to this audio too, because maybe I’ll do a unedited version or…because I have room for these rambles on Sleep With Me, where a normal podcast has probably gotta trim it down.  But yeah, I’ve enjoyed the practices.  I’ve been looking forward to sharing them with my listeners, and I appreciate the effort, and I’m looking forward to the conversation tomorrow.  Thanks and goodnight, everybody.

 

Alright, hey everybody.  This is Scoots.  Apparently I recorded an intro where I discovered that there may or may not be a scientist living in some sort of submersible under my bed or in my bed, within my bedding.  It turns out, believe it or not, if that’s true, it’s not exactly easy for me to get a interview for that person, ‘cause I said well, I’ll just interview him and we’ll do a episode of Sleep With Me about it.  No, not so simple, apparently.  So they said send me some requests, so of course I procrastinated on that and thought about it.  I said well, what should I call you to start out?  They said Lary.  I said, Laury?  They said no, Lary.  I said Lary the scientist that lives in my bedding?  Then again, that created another…then I had to apologize.  I said sorry, I guess I misspoke.

 

Maybe we should do this like an interview, because that was my idea, but then I was gonna ask you about the interview and then I misspoke.  I should have said Lary, I would like to interview you to find out…where…do you live in my bedding?  Apparently you don’t…and said okay, well, just…why don’t you just put my questions out there and…?  So I said okay, well, I’m…I was under the impression…I know that doesn’t…that’s not the best way to start a question.  I haven’t interviewed anybody on the show that’s not a regular that I remember.  A couple caveats; how do…Lary, could I call you L?  Oh, yes, I…yes, you may.  Oh wow, okay.  We’re here with L, and L is a guest…is a mysterious…is a guest with some mystery and we’re here to clear up some of those mysteries.  So, I’m here with L.

 

That’s me and Scoots, and this is our first interview…did I say…did I ask you how you felt about caveats?  Scooter, you did not, and thank you for having me on, and for your multiple apologies.  You can apologize too much, so it’s just better if you specifically apologize for things.  Yes, my…you could call…you may call me L.  How do I feel about caveats?  It depends on how they’re used, so go ahead.  Okay, I guess I forgot what I was gonna make a caveat about, so…I have no idea what I was…after you answer my question, you…in a good way, I believe, you either…you enable me to move on from my caveat.  Oh, I was gonna say…actually, I know what I was gonna say; it was kind of a apology to the listeners and to the parts of my brain that get exasperated with me a lot, L, is that I don’t…I have a very fond memory of an interview with a username generator named Genny.

 

You’re L with just an L, though.  Right, Scooter, because you…you’re…you…my name that…L or Lary was…you got that from a 33 record that was released 2, 4, 63.  Record number 3158 from Aldon Music.  Kenny Chandler, Glenn Stewart, Heart by Well and Man.  You’re right, L, that is where I got…your name is derived from that record that is in my hand.  So, this is a way I used to randomize stuff on the podcast, and so…wow, so this is becoming a interactive thing.  It’s been interactive all along, Scooter.  Okay, well, my caveat was I don’t remember anybody I’ve interviewed that’s not been on the show and become a regular other than Genny, the username generator, that I remember.

 

But I don’t remember a lot, I don’t remember a lot well, but I’m glad you were here to wait for me, which is…but…and also to point out that yeah, usually…sometimes I randomize the podcast by the power of Carole King.  Sometimes lately it’s by…been children…pictures in…books that come along with read-along records.  Now, it is…or magic tricks.  We didn’t use that…we just actually used that for factual recaps.  But yeah, these records…I bought a random lot of 45s, I guess these are, L, not 33s, it turns out.  Neither one of us know anything much…very much about records.  But I wanted you to talk about…and I know it’s a lot of…you don’t have to talk about your purpose, or as…let’s just talk in a general way about what it’s like to be a scientist.

 

I presume you’re an imaginary scientist, but the science isn’t imaginary, just your…I didn’t…sorry, I almost said your existence is imaginary, but we’re here talking, so it’s not.  Right, Scooter.  In some sense, I’m dependant on you.  Wow, so I wonder if…could…do you think…here’s the thing; I would love to depend on you.  Actually, I’m looking for…I’m really struggling, L, in a general way.  So, I could always use somebody to depend on.  Well Scooter, let’s talk about it, but what was your question?  Well, I’m just wondering in a general way, what observations do you make about bedding?  I guess because of my limited knowledge of science and the scientific method, we should probably avoid as much scientific talk as we can.

 

Well, Scooter, reminds me of the song by Edy Hodges or Eddie Hodges; Ain’t Gonna Wash For A Week.  I don’t know what year that was.  I do know it came out on Cadence Records, East West.  It was record number 1397.  Peter O’Dell, Gary Gold.  Orchestra conducted by Archie Bleyer.  I don’t know what the…how the tune goes, but I know that it’s a pretty common observation I made that most bedding’s not washed weekly.  I’m not here to judge or actually take any scientific observations about it, but just to point out the fact that the…that that just happens to be something I observe.

 

Wow, so that’s good, because…that’s good to talk about bedding, ‘cause I don’t…I mean, I know a thing or two about bedding and I feel like…I don’t know if this is…well, this is interesting, the next record that came up, but yeah, let’s talk about it ‘cause I think…here’s my observations about my own bedding and the wash cycles and the ability to change it out.  Go ahead, Scooter.  Lay it on me.  This is…I feel like we’re breaking into new worlds of bedtime storytelling here.  Yeah.  I mean, I was really hoping…I guess because it’s my bed, I was just hoping it’d be…I was picturing you in a submarine submersible.  Do you have a submersible?  Of course I do, Scooter.  Do you have one of those rove bots?  Of course, of course I do.  Do you have a…some sort of giant suit?

 

Of course, Scooter, ‘cause if you’re…when you’re tossing and turning, it’s soft on the outside.  Also, I’m…you don’t detect me.  But yeah, we do have…those are all things we use in our research.  Yeah, I mean, I wish I had more going on in my bed for you to observe, but I’m sure if you’re observing my dreams, then you probably…I don’t know if you…do you use notebooks or shorthand or typing or recordings?  Do you use equipment?  Yes, we do all of those things.  Okay, so…oh, my…oh, I was not making a question; I was making a statement, then it led me to questions.  This is really…are you enjoying yourself so far, L?  Scooter, I am, and I’m just trying to participate without letting you down or falling in.  I think together, we could probably…you already had a lot of jokes at your own expense, so I think it’s okay.

 

We could just move on from those, too.  Please give me your insights into bedding, and you were talking about changing or washing your bedding.  Yeah, so I have a couple…I have an ideal, which would be I think every…on the 15th and the 30th, or on February whatever, I don’t know, 14th and the 28th, those would be, in a ideal world, when you would change out your bedding if you were just doing it on a regular rotation.  Now, I don’t stick to that for a few reasons.  I’ll tell you, L, but if…in a perfect world, if there was extenuating circumstances like sneezing or got sweaty or whatever, maybe I would change that schedule.  Now, I don’t follow that schedule.  Okay, Scooter, tell me why, and give me some actual insight, too, into why…behind the whys.  Why it’s human nature; I’ll tell you.  That was just a song reference, L.

 

Well, there’s good…those are good questions for me, and so, yeah, in a perfect world, I’d change my bedding every two weeks, or more or less, and that’s where you fall into if you just picked the 15th or the 30th, that’s not gonna be every two weeks; it’s actually every fifteen days, meaning the days will change.  I don’t know if a work/school night is the best time to change your bedding unless you’re super relaxed or something and you are in such a place where you’re so transcendent that you…you’re in a…I don’t know.  Maybe you’re somebody that’s really well-adjusted or really in a good place or you have a lot of spare time.  Then you could change your bedding whenever you want.  I would say do it before the sun sets or two hours before you want to go to sleep.

 

My expert opinion; two hours before you go to…want to go to sleep is a great time, maybe an hour and a half depending on your bedtime routine, particularly depending on if you live in a place with only one bathroom and you share it with your daughter.  Great time to change your bedding if it’s gonna be on a school/work night is when they’re using the restroom and you’ve either already prepared for bed or you’re mostly ready for bed, and you’re calm.  Then you say okay, go ahead; you use the restroom, then I’ll come and use it after.  Or I’m already done; you get ready for bed, and I’m not gonna worry about…you go do your…you get ready, but I’m gonna change…then you go and change your bedding.  Okay, can you tell me why you feel like this two-week schedule is ideal?

 

Well, actually, it’s interesting — thanks, L — is…are you actually doing research with me and on me while we talk?  This is just two people talking bedding, Scooter.  But yeah, we…for…when you talk, of course you’re gathering information.  Okay, well, if you…so, if you have any advice or anything, feel free…but there is some things I gotta get into.  But I feel like the main…changing your bedding is that it’s a physical and a mind-body and a self-esteem-based reason to change it every two weeks, maybe.  If not every thirty days is what I would do next, because I feel like when I change the bedding, one, I feel good about myself, though I don’t change my duvets…maybe every sixty days or something.  I don’t even know.  I don’t change those on a schedule.

 

That brings up a whole ‘nother…a lot of other issues you’re probably aware of.  So wow, we’re really getting into my bedding deep, here.  Scooter, that’s why I have the submersibles.  Yeah, I just didn’t realize this would be me talking about my bedding, but this is actual…this is applicable to the sleep podcast.  I just never thought this is where it would…have we done a show like this?  Do you know, L?  Scooter, I’ve actually not been tuning into the podcast; I’ve been doing my job.  Okay.  So, okay, so…oh, so it feels good to change your bedding.  You say oh boy, got that done.  Then physically, I feel like it feels really good, one, to get into a bed with clean, fresh sheets and a freshly-made bed, particularly with my bedding situation, which we’ll go to later.  I just feel like there’s something about it.

 

So, you have the self-esteem boost, then you have a…depending on what kind of sheets and stuff you like, the smoothness or the crispness or the freshness or the…whatever you want to call it; clumping or whatever goes on in my bed.  It’s taut, just like they say in Ronkonkoma at a school, but not meaning the same thing.  They mean taught; I taught you how to do something.  This is taut like the sheets are…this fitted sheet’s pulled tight.  Okay, so if I’m hearing you correctly, you really like the…you feel good about getting something accomplished, and then you feel good about getting something accomplished that’s gonna make you feel good.  Did you say there’s another thing?  Yeah, I feel like I just sleep good ‘cause I…those two things, I say oh boy, I can really feel good tonight; I changed out my bedding.

 

Yeah, you’re…thanks for rephrasing that for me or reiterating that.  The other…so, there’s one other issue, though.  So, I do take baths.  That’s kind of like a occasional hobby for me.  I’ve reduced my baths because I live in California, but normally the…I think the ideal time to change your sheets is Sunday.  That’s just for me, because that has always been historically…though now it’s probably Monday or Tuesday.  Sunday has always been the night where the deep, dark night seems the deepest to me in the past.  Yeah, I could get that.  I can get that, Scooter, but tell me more about your baths and how they relate to your bedding.  So, okay, so normally I take a long run on Sunday, right, or a jog or whatever you want to call it.  Then I shower after to cleanse myself.  But that’s during the day or the morning.

 

Then what happens is I go about my day and then that night, in order to kinda help my body recover and as a hobby as we’re talking about, I’ll fill the tub up, I’ll get some…I definitely buy bubble bath, and then Epsom salts.  I feel like that…whatever the process is, that helps me unwind.  I used to use more of some sort of oil in there so my skin wouldn’t dry out, or…but I’m not as consistent about that, right?  But I think that even with a bubble bath, I think between the Epsom salts and the fact that I’ve…I don’t shower first, which may not be something everybody takes delight in, and I just feel like the use of the water, even though it’s probably just me, or that it’s just too much work.  Usually I’ll have a treat in there; I’ll have some sparkling waters or some soda and I’ll really make a thing of it.

 

Usually I’ll watch a basketball game, do some Duolingo, and safely, in a way that I can do that in the tub; safely, kids.  I really find it’s not so much…it’s a ritual but it’s also related to not just relaxing but recovery, because I just ran during the day really far.  My legs are usually pretty tired.  I mean, really far from me, ‘cause I know there’s marathon…ultra-marathoners and stuff like that.  But so, the caveat is I usually do that on Sundays, and because I haven’t…I mean, I’m somewhat clean, right?  I took a shower at, whatever, 10:00 AM.  Now it’s 7:00…5:00, 6:00, 7:00 PM.  Though with my schedule being a bit different over the last year, it could be at any time on Sunday between 2:00 and 10:00 PM.  No; the latest I would take a bath…I wouldn’t get in the bath after 8:00, to be honest.  Okay, Scooter, tell me more.

 

So, there’s a…I wouldn’t say…I would say that there’s…then…that if I’m not…I don’t take a shower after, either.  I know you’re aware of all this, L, because you’ve been observing me by scientific method.  So, I wouldn’t say there’s a funk, because there’s not, but I would say that I’m not ultra-clean.  So, it’s probably not the best time…if I’m gonna get into a clean bed, I really want to be…I don’t have to be straight out of the bathroom shower, but usually, personally, I shower in the evening or the afternoon after I work out, so it’s like…not to…I’m not saying any of this to impress you, L, but then I’m wondering if you…okay, now you’re giggling.  So, I’ll assume that’s a positive giggling.  But so, it’s not like I stink, though my body odor will be stronger the next day because I haven’t…’til I take another shower.

 

This is getting way too personal, but I guess it’s just factual.  So, I don’t want to change my sheets that day, ‘cause then it just feels like a waste of clean sheets ‘cause I’m slightly…I’m slightly soiled, I guess I would say, right?  Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.  That was a really meandering way of telling it, but somewhat to the point for you.  Yeah, so then I’d prefer to change them — I guess as I said — on a thing.  Now, I’d like to do it on a somewhat regular basis, but not…I don’t stick to it.  I think I just changed mine.  I think we’re around the seven-day mark for my current bedding, maybe even less.  I’m gonna knock on your door a little bit more, if you catch my drift, L.  Is this a Cadence Records, Eddie Hodges kinda knocking at my door?  It is, because I’m real, like Jim Valley.  Oh, Jim Valley?  Burdett Music?  Jerden?

 

Jerry Dennon, Valley, Gallucci?  814?  Yeah, I’m real like that.  I’m real…I’ll be real stinky the next day.  I really won’t be that…but you know, we’re just talking about being human beings, right, L?  Yeah, Scooter.  I’m talking about observing human beings ‘cause I’m a tiny scientist that does imaginary scientist…science stuff from a deep-sea submersible within your bedding.  Right, so you probably know some other stuff about my bedding.  You know some of my…some of the other challenges I face.  So, should we talk about those?  Scooter, I could tell you that there is love in my heart like James or Jim Valley to find out more about this.  Cool, cool, cool.  So, yeah, right now when we’re recording this and talking, it’s March.  I’m lucky enough to live in the Bay Area which is…right now I’d say it’s very prime sleeping weather.

 

Maybe a little bit cold for some people, but so, for my system…and I’ve been using this system for quite a while now, but I…’cause I think I made it through all four seasons.  Maybe once, maybe twice with this system, maybe only once and a half.  Scooter, why don’t you describe to me your system and then we’ll talk about the inherent challenges in it for you?  Okay, that’s great, that’s great.  Thanks, L.  So, okay, so my system…I’m a…so, I have my…you want me to go through it all?  Why don’t you, Scooter?  Okay, so I have my bed, then I have my fitted sheet, and then I have four pillows; two pillows that I use…two sets…two pairs of pillows, we’ll say, right?  You’re nodding your head, L.  Yeah, you’re doing good.  This is all stuff you’ve observed, right, and you’re…yeah, I…this is all things I’ve observed, Scooter.

 

So, I have two pillows that are kinda flat that…I would put my head on one and maybe hold one in my arms like a stuffed animal or something I’m clutching at.  Or sometimes I’ll lay on it.  Sometimes I’ll put…sometimes I don’t want my head on the pillow, so then I’ll have the…I don’t know what’s happening when I’m in the other realms, drifting away.  Then the other two pillows, I’ll madly grab at them.  Sometimes I put one over my head, sometimes I’ll hold onto one of those, but then I’ll realize that it’s too thick.  So, those are…those other two pillows are…I would say they probably have a challenging life as far as pillows, but then they have a longer lifespan, ‘cause they’re a little bit puffier and firmer, and they’re good for helping me sit up when I read.

 

Then they’re good at putting…if I need two pillows on top of my head for some reason…and it’s not based on light because my room is very, very dark.  Well, this is something else we could talk about in the future, Scooter.  Yeah, thanks.  But so, yeah, I have my two pillows, my sleep pillows, and then my other pillows.  None of them are fancy, and their relationship with pillow…whatever…are those…pillowcases, they’re called…tends to be mixed, right?  That the pillowcases are on or the pillowcases are off.  So, I guess what…what was my…you got distracted there.  Yeah, so I was…I guess I was thinking about…I don’t know, my…I could just picture the pillowcases half-on or half-off.  Okay, so when you make your bed, let’s do it that way and talk about it.

 

So, you’d have your pillows and then you would have your fitted sheet or you’d have your fitted sheet and then you’d put your pillows and your pillowcases on, right?  Right, and if they’re matching, I would match the pillow style to the pillowcases, ‘cause I have…one set of bedding, I have all four pillowcases the same, and then another set of bedding…my regular bedding, but I have…that’s in my regular rotation, then the other set is two pillowcases that match the sheets, and then two solid colors that also match the sheets.  So, you would set those up in pairs, contrasting pairs?  Yeah.  I’m not consistent about that, and then I find when I get in bed, I’m looking for my pillows.

 

Like, last night I was like…I had three pillows, but I couldn’t find the fourth one which I needed, which was my squish…my pillow I was gonna clutch.  Your comfort pillow?  I wouldn’t call it a comfort…I’d say it’s a pillow that brings me comfort, but I wouldn’t refer to it…’cause it could…it has many other uses beyond being a comfort pillow.  Okay, that’s very good to know.  So, yeah, I would have those.  Okay, so yeah, I would stack the pillows, but I don’t know…I’m never consistent.  I don’t have a method whether it’s my…I guess I would put the fuller pillow…sometimes I’d put it on top, sometimes I’d put the softer pillow on the bottom, the flatter pillow, and sometimes I’d do it the other way, and sometimes I don’t even pay attention.

 

But you would ideally put those together, so it’d be like opposite pillows together in pairs.  Yeah, I guess like a couple…add couple off the pillows based on opposites attract, though I’m not conscious of that.  Okay, so then you have your pillows, you have your fitted sheet.  What’s next?  So, then I do have a top sheet and there’s multiple reasons for that, but none of them, I don’t think, are very good against an argument…I’m not here to argue top sheet or not or that my way is better.  It’s just that, I don’t know, that I like having a top sheet.  It’s just something…I don’t know.  When I’m…I mean, I guess my room, ideally, would never be so hot that I would have to go down to my top sheet.  But if I did, I’d still want a top sheet.  I’d still need some sort of coverage most of the time, just for comfort and reassurance, I guess.

 

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.  So you have your top sheet and then what would come next?  Okay, now this is gonna sound a bit over-the-top, but I’m talking…and we’ll…let’s just talk temperatures, ‘cause I have been doing some temperature observations over the winter.  My room will normally…so, I won’t have the heater on because…well, I’ll explain even more.  But so, my room will be somewhere…and again, we could change this; if you need…if your science-based team needs a warm room, I can figure it out.  I’m willing to adjust.  I appreciate that, Scooter, but I’m here to observe you and not…but I like that you’re…I think you’re speaking beyond me, but yeah, that you’re open to change.

 

I mean, some kind of change; a comp…but so, for me, I keep that…that room can get down as low as 60 degrees or below in the winter, though the Bay Area…the winter air is cold, so I do tend…a 58 to 62 in a spring or autumn air.  I’m not a weather scientist, I’m not a meteorologist, I’m no Wayne Mahar.  I’m not one…whoever I watch now; I apologize.  But I’m blanking out.  But so, yeah, I’m not a weather scientist, but I will say that the air…the 58 to 62-degree air or 64-degree air between late November and late February does tend to have a sharpness to it that I would…will not have my window open all the way.  I may even close my window, because I guess it has such a sharpness that it could keep the room at a 60 to 62-degree or 64-degree thing.

 

The only reason I point that out is because I noticed over the past couple weeks where it’s…the air is a little bit…it’s March now…that the air is a little bit less crisp, even though the temperature’s a little…like, a lot of times, I’m getting up and I’m checking the thermostat and we’re below 60 in my place.  I say holy cow, and I’m still…I mean, I’m hot-blooded, check it and see, but that doesn’t have quite as…it feels different.  It doesn’t feel as cold.  Okay, so, let’s focus on this, ‘cause we got off…so, your ideal room temperature is based on feel, but what else can you tell me about the room temperature?  ‘Cause maybe this will help people, and this is kinda bedroom hygiene…sleep hygiene, a little bit.  Well, okay, I do want to point out that this is a process, right?  It’s not a goal.

 

Your process is to find a temperature that you feel comfortable sleeping in, and I mean, that’s what’s tough about being at home and then going somewhere.  So, I don’t want to get into anything on the road, because that’s different…it’s a different ball game, right?  But what I like to do is just have the heater off…oh, and I can talk about my family preferences, but…and I have my window open, and then I could…now…then we’ll get into other sleep hygiene, I guess, outside of my bedding, if you’re interested in that, as far as layers between the open window and the screen or whatever.  But lately, I’ve had my window open almost all the way and I don’t get cold, but if I did get cold…and sometimes I’ve even gotten warm or a little bit…I say I’m a little warm here, hot under the collar.  Okay, okay, so…that’s very interesting.

 

So, you like your room…can you give me a degree?  Again, we’re just talking about an idealized number.  I mean, I would say in the Bay Area, if you were to pin me down, I’d say 62 degrees, which is probably…it’s definitely not everybody’s.  Again, so, my daughter lives with me half-time, right, and I have something that heats her bed individually, which also is more efficient for the home because it’s a bed heater or whatever.  It’s not a electric blanket; it blows warm air throughout her bed through a sheet.  That you could really get at a temperature that she’s comfortable at.  So, she never has to be cold.  She also likes a lot of blankets.  That actually…in the winter will keep her room warm.  So, it’s a much different temperature than my room.  So, your daughter likes to sleep very warm, you’re saying.

 

Yeah, I think that’s a pretty common thing.  Some people like to sleep warm, some people like to sleep cold, some people like to sleep in-between.  Okay, so tell me more about how do you…even though the room is cold, you’re not cold, and you said you tend to be warm-blooded and you get hot.  But tell me more about what bedding you use, because obviously there’s something keeping you warm.  ‘Cause when you go to bed, I’m under the impression that sometimes you’re cold when you get in bed.  Oh boy, am I.  Ice cold, sometimes; you’re right.  What I’ll do…it depends on what I’m wearing, too, because I tend to be a person with…I’m not a person that walks around the house without any clothes; I just want…I mean, you’ve observed me, so it’s not news to you.

 

Regular listeners of the podcast will know I like to wear…in the summer, shorts, and if I’m working from home, that would be my…not boxers, but a pair of shorts so that then when I have to take the dog out, I only have to put on a shirt.  But my base comfort state, if it’s warm enough, is just shirtless and shorts.  When that’s not accomplishable, I’ll add layers, or if I gotta go on a Zoom, obviously I’m gonna wear a shirt.  If it’s a Zoom for something, I’m gonna wear a nicer shirt.  Then in the winter, I might wear sleep pants or if I’m going somewhere, jeans or pants.  But at bedtime, yeah, when I’m in shorts or if I…sometimes I’ll have to have a shirt on ‘cause my room’s so cold.  Then I’ll meditate with my dog if she’s there and my daughter’s not there.  Otherwise, I’ll meditate with my daughter.

 

But yeah, I’ll lay with my…have I talked about this on the podcast before, do you know, L?  Scooter, I don’t know, but I’m…I know what happens, so I don’t know if your audience is quite…well, I’ll put…I’ll lay my head…yeah, maybe the audience doesn’t know about this.  So, I’ll meditate every night.  I guess we’re getting in…this is like…this is…I guess this is what scientists do; they observe bedtime hygiene.  So, I’ll lie…if it’s just Koa and I…like, first, yeah, we could…I guess we could go through that process.  I invite Koa…Koa wants to go to bed normally before I do, so she’ll start letting me know by non-verbal communication that she’s ready to go to bed, which includes going down the stairs, coming back up, or hovering around the stairs, and…or mistaking cues.

 

But so, when it is time for us to go to bed, we’ll go down there, and the normal…the routine can change, but normally she’ll do a little bit of milling around, and then I’ll say why don’t you lie down?  Then she’ll do another lap in the room, and then she’ll lie down, and then I’ll put some blankets on her because again, the room is gonna be cold, and she also just likes…not only is it warm, because sometimes she takes the blankets off, but she has her own little nest there, and she…I know she finds it comforting ‘cause she’ll look at me and say blanket me up, yo.  So, you drape your dog in blankets; in the wintertime, blankets, in the spring or summer, yeah, it might be a blanket.  Depends on the temperature.  But yeah, right now it’s still blanket season when you’re getting below 64, I would say.  Okay, and then what happens?

 

So, then, right now currently what I do is…so, she has her bed and I’ll put my head on her bed.  She doesn’t…she’s a bit like me; she’s a independent dog.  She likes being petted and she likes having you close, and she likes curling up next to my…so, she doesn’t sleep in her…my bed, obviously.  She sleeps in her bed.  She likes being in the same room as me.  She doesn’t want to sleep in another room.  But so, I’ll meditate.  So, we’ll spend some time together.  I’ll put my head on her bed.  Sometimes she’ll want to be close to me; other times she’ll just say okay, I want you in my presence.  I’ll mediate and usually, yeah, I do it lying…well, so my head will be…I’ll be on my back, my head will be on her bed or on her hip or side if she’s like hey, let’s have some dog-human contact.

 

Again, I’m wondering…I’m really…I guess I’m putting it all out there.  But so, then I’ll have my feet on my bed, so I’m on my back.  So, it’s almost like I’m sitting in a chair but I’m not, because my feet are on the…my legs are up on the bed, my knees are bent.  I don’t know why I do that.  I just heard oh, having your feet up is good for you or something.  Then I’ll lie there and I’ll meditate.  Sometimes I’ll pet Koa, but other times she just wants to sit there, lie there with me.  Then I’ll meditate.  I don’t know what that had to do with any…’cause I thought we were talking about my layers of bedding.  Oh, but it gets…it can be cold ‘cause she’s all wrapped up in her blanket, so then sometimes, yeah, I will have to put a shirt on or add a shirt if I’m just wearing a tank top or something.

 

Sometimes I gotta put another shirt on ‘cause it’s so cold in my room already.  Okay, tell me about why it’s so cold in your room.  Well, it kinda depends on the podcast recording schedule.  Great question, by the way, L.  But yeah, if I’m getting ready for bed and I go downstairs for some reason to change my clothes or to do something, I’ll open up my windows, ideally at about…I don’t know.  If my target time to start reading is 9:45 PM, which it is, which means my bedtime routine had started at like, 9:15.  This is a work-school night, or 9:00 PM.  I’d be meditating by 9:15 to 9:30 or something.  I open my windows at 8:00 PM, or they were open all day, but they definitely wouldn’t be open because if I’m recording the podcast, the windows have to be closed ‘cause there’s so much noise outside.

 

Okay, so you open up your windows and you start cooling your room.  Your room gets cold, cold enough that you could be chilly, and then you get into your bed.  You have your top sheet, and then what’s next?  What’s next is a weighted comforter and a duvet, and then another comforter, a regular comforter for the winter, and a duvet.  Then if it’s really cold, I have another blanket that’s optional at the foot of my bed or falling off my bed.  Or I guess after the winter, I probably put it away.  I don’t remember.  Okay, really interesting stuff.  So, you have a weighted comforter, not a weighted blanket.  Yeah, I discovered a way to…people have been pitching me on weighted blankets and stuff like that, and a company sent me one.

 

It was too small and I said…I tried it and I found some things appealing about it, but for me, I do a lot of thrashing, tossing, turning, moving around.  I couldn’t keep something that’s like the size of a twin bed on me.  I sleep in a queen bed, by the way.  I kinda range…I don’t range super…well, I do; I range around there, and I’ll move around.  So, having a weighted comforter which is 60…which is larger than 60 by 80; it’s the same size as a queen-sized comforter, or a queen-king.  It’s very big and it is very…I can’t recommend it enough, because even in the spring or the summer, it brings some weight and coverage but also less warmth than a traditional comforter.  Then having a traditional comforter on top really keeps me warm and adds another layer of weight.  I really do find it comforting.

 

I feel like one of the…what are those called?  Bran’s family…like a Stark; I do.  I’m not even kidding.  I say I feel like…that’s what I say in my bed, though I never remember their name at the times.  Then they didn’t have that much luck.  They weren’t doing a lot of sleep…well, same, but…so, I do say I feel like a Stark.  Okay, you’re covered in layers and layers of heavy things.  Yeah, it’s very nice.  It’s very nice.  Now, the problem is, as you’ve observed, is the thrashing and the moving and the adjusting and all those things.  That can really dis…I guess discombobulate is actually the accurate…my bedding is discombobulated by the time I get up.  It can really…even during the night, it can cause…usually…we’ll talk about the reset I do, which I guess technically we call it making the bed.

 

But so, yeah, if I’m doing a lot of thrashing around, my bedding, my sheet, and my comforters can get…the nice thing about the duvet is it gives it some extra oomph and it makes it actually easier to redistribute them and keep them clean.  But it also creates even more ways to discombobulate stuff.  Okay, so tell me about the discombobulation.  Do you make your bed?  Okay, well I don’t…so, this is interesting because I’m a person recovering from…I practice staying sober, and it’s just this traditional thing with staying sober, is part of your morning routine is to make your bed.  I have not been able to follow that or practice that…I’ll arrange my bed in a way that it’s like, I guess they say fake it ‘til you make it.  I fake-make my bed, which is not…but there’s a couple reasons behind that.  Okay, tell me about those.

 

Well, one is that I use this thing to…now it’s…one part of it’s broken and they don’t work with the show anymore, so that’s fine, but to keep my bed even cooler so that it’s cooling the bottom…so even while I’m covered in these sheets, I have this thing that’s cooling the bed underneath me.  So you have a piece of technology that does the opposite of what your daughter’s bed heater does, but it uses some…water instead of cool air.  Yeah, it uses water to keep my bed at about…it says 58 degrees.  I’d say it’s probably not that low.  It used to be on both sides of the bed; now only one side works.  But it’s not…it also can…it has…it can have condensation, so that’s another reason; if there’s any condensation, I don’t…I push all my bedding to the side when I wake up, ‘cause it is like I had a little…I sweated or something, you know?

 

But it’s condensation ‘cause it’s cold.  So, then I want that to air dry.  I don’t want to put bedding on it.  Obviously, Scooter.  Thank you; that makes my job so much easier.  Yeah, so, then that won’t be…but that doesn’t…I’ve adjusted the temperatures.  I think I’ve got the temperature and when it shuts off…so it does less…I have it shut off at a certain time.  But then when it gets warmer, obviously, that’ll change.  But my…but the main reason I’ll make the bed is because it’s so discombobulated that between the possibility of there being some sort of liquid condensation and then the effort that would go…I feel like it would distract from my day…my morning routine.

 

They say you got…making your bed is part of your morning routine,  but I do have…lately I’ve been doing…so, I read some stuff about hey, what are some things…spiritual-type readings aligned with practicing my sobriety?  Then I will do some journaling in either a dream or stuff that’s going on, or morning pages.  Lately I’ve been doing two pages, not three.  You could see that Scoots starts as soon as he wakes up, thinking about past, present, and future.  Then I will do some meditating and some quiet reflection and talk to my higher power and check in.  I could do that out of my bed on the ground, and then I’ll go about…then I do other morning routine stuff; yoga, I work…exercise.  So, you do that every day.  Yep, pretty much.  No, not even pretty much; yeah, every day.

 

I need it every day ‘cause I wake up every day as myself.  Okay, but you can’t make your…you don’t make your bed because of the condensation and the level of discombobulation?  Yeah, so it takes a lot…not to interrupt you, I’m sorry, but I was just kinda trying to…is that okay?  That’s fine, ‘cause we do have to get to one more thing before we…okay, so…so yeah, what I’ll do is make my bed when…before Koa and I meditate or, again, during that period when I would change my sheets, like we said at the beginning, if my daughter…if my daughter’s there and she’s using the bathroom, that’s when I’ll make my bed for bedtime, because I have to take everything off my bed because it’s so discombobulated.  The sheet will be wrapped up like something somebody’s using to get ahold of Rapunzel or something.

 

It’ll be all…my top sheet will be knotted like I have some sort of escape plan.  Then my weighted comforter will be either redistributed inside the…what do you call that thing?  The duvet, or it’s all made of beads, and they’re in…they’re spread in sections, but somehow I can still…I can break time-space of weighted comforters, so I have to redistribute that.  Then the same thing goes for my other comforter; it’ll be all bunched up or again, look like it was sent through some sort of masher.  That’s most nights.  I don’t know what’s going on.  Obviously, like we said, nothing much, but whatever’s going on in my brain, there’s a lot of activity going on, a lot of movement.  Okay, so you remake your bed, but at bedtime, so it’s part of your bedtime routine.

 

Yeah, I mean, unless I’m really tired or I skipped part of my bedtime routine or left it, and then that’s setting myself up for failure.  You’re right.  I’m glad you pointed that out, because then I’ll get in bed.  That’s where making the bed in the morning actually is a good idea.  Again, it’s just that condensation thing for me and that I have a morning routine that’s working, because my bedtime routine’s very similar; foam rolling before or after the meditation, I’ll take some time to talk to my higher power, I’ll do journaling or gratitude-type stuff, and then I’ll get in bed and read fiction.  Yeah, sometimes I’ll just cut…if I’m rushed, I’ll cut some of those out.  Then if I get into my bed and it hasn’t been…if it’s still discombobulated, obviously it’s gonna impact me.

 

Okay, so, before we…we do need to wrap up, Scooter, and I appreciate you bringing me on the show.  Wow, it’s been…this has been the quickest hour of my life.  Well, Scooter, I want you to talk about the light in your room, ‘cause I know it’s very important to you and I think it’s something that isn’t as appreciated as it could be.  Yeah, so I have two sets of windows in my room, and even before the current circumstances that I live in or where I lived before, I can’t tell you how big a difference it is.  So, I have blinds that came with the apartment that are built-in, right?  They’re pretty good-quality blinds.  I think there was curtain rods up, but I have curtain rods — I think they’re by Umbro or something — that curve around.  Then I do have blackout curtains.  They curve around.

 

Now, they don’t hold all the light; I actually put something on top of the curtain so that no light comes in going up towards the ceiling.  Then I use gaffer tape on every LED I can find in my room.  Then I have most of the lights set on a timer so that they all go off at my bedtime or when I’m trying to fall asleep.  I mean, if my door was closed, my room would be…even when…I guess when I wake up, I’m not seeing clearly anyway.  I have a little…I got a little nightlight, a motion-sensitive one, because otherwise I was banging my shins too much.  But yeah, I like my room very dark, and unfortunately or fortunately depending on the way you look at it, I live across the street from a few…or across from some industrial activity.  For some reason, they’ve invested in more and more…I’m surprised; it’s very disruptive.

 

If I didn’t have those lights, the light pollution…my room would be very much like daylight, almost.  There’s so much light not that far outside of where I live.  Then there’s also noise and stuff like that.  So, yeah, having those curtains and then covering the LEDs whenever possible…I know that having a dark room positively impacts sleep from what I’ve read, but also from personal experience.  But then also the personal experience of opening my curtains and my blinds as soon as I wake up, of the window that’s right next to my bed, which I guess is another key thing for me, is being able to sleep by a window.  I also have a fan going and then I have…the thing that cools my bed has a fan that makes noise, and then I also have a mechanical fan noisemaker or a second…another fan running, and I have my AirDoctor running.

 

So you have a lot of white noise, and then you have your window open, and then you can open it and let the sunlight in as soon as you were ready to get up.  Yeah, that’s another thing that’s just very important, is to be exposed to sunlight, from what I understand, but also just part of my routine now as soon as I wake up.  Then I do have to close my windows sometime, because I have an industrial thing.  Every once in a while they’re cooking up something that is definitely…so, I have to close my window and then the AirDoctor…I kick the AirDoctor into high gear.  So, sometimes you have some pollution and always…you do also live by a freeway, so yeah.  But having a dark room’s also important for you, but also having maybe some sort of inexpensive light.

 

You got yours from Liza, and that can light the room when you get outta bed.  You couldn’t find it last night, though.  Yeah, I had to blindly go through the room even though I don’t think it was that dark, ‘cause there’s a couple changes that have gone on.  So, I still haven’t gotten my room as dark as I want it, where I’m totally lost.  So yeah, we’ve learned a lot from you, Scooter.  I appreciate it.  This is a very good episode about bedtime hygiene and bedding.  Those are actually all the observations I made, so I’m very happy for you and your audience.  I hope you find a way to make your bed comfortable wherever you are, and make your bedtime routine comfortable.  Maybe I’m the scientist…you could be the scientist observing yourself setting yourself up for bedtime.  Now, success is not perfection, right Scooter?

 

Right, it’s just…it’s process-based.  I think I said that, right?  It’s the process of saying hey, is there any changes I can make?  Just like during the day; I need to be more process-based about…is there any changes I can make to improve my life right now and make the most of my life right now or my bedtime right now without doing anything that has to be grand or life-changing or life-altering?  Just small changes of what have always worked for me, particularly just seeing where this went, asking the scientist that lives in my bedding or whatever, and going from there.  At least we…I felt this was more factual-based.  Interesting, but we had some whimsy during the intro.  So, I’m glad you came by.  Thanks, everybody, and goodnight.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcribed by Leah Hervoly)