Tosh Show - My Sleep Expert - Dr. Meredith Broderick

Episode Date: May 6, 2025

Daniel settles in with sleep expert Meredith Broderick for a conversation about attending The Ohio State University, sleep training babies, and if a passion for naps is healthy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart podcast. Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater podcast network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to the American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or

wherever you get your podcasts. I'm ready to fight. Oh, this is fighting words. Okay. I'll put the hammer back. Hi, I'm George M. Johnson, a bestselling author with the second most banned book in America. Now more than ever, we need to use our voices to fight back. Part of the power of black queer creativity

is the fact that we got us, you know? We are the greatest culture makers in world history. Listen to Fighting Words on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Sam Mullins, and I've got a new podcast coming out called Go Boy, the gritty true story of how one man fought his way out of some of the darkest places imaginable. Roger Caron was 16 when first convicted. Has spent 24 of those years in jail. But when Roger Caron picked up a pen and paper, he went from an ex-con to a literary darling. From Campside Media and iHeart podcasts, listen to Go Boy on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptUSkids.org to learn more.

Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. How many hours of sleep does a healthy adult need? At least seven. Is 11 depressing? 11 something's going on. Okay. Tosh Show. Tosh Show. Tosh Show.

Great to be here on this blessed Tuesday. Tuesday, the day is so great. They gave it two days. I like it. How are you doing, Eddie? I'm doing good. How are you doing? You know, just getting ready for Mother's Day. Oh yeah, gearing up. Your you doing, Eddie? I'm doing good. How are you doing? Whew.

You know, just getting ready for Mother's Day. Oh yeah, gearing up. Your mom's still alive? She is, yeah. Good. She's still alive. Good. That is awkward when you ask somebody and they're like, no.

I mean, I think you gotta know going in that they are. No, no. How are you gonna know without asking? I think you're doing it just to be nice. I always assume people's mothers are alive and then I'm just rocked to the core when I find out they're dead as shit Yeah, daddy shit. Oh, I am NOT looking forward to the day my mom dies Okay, that being said I prepare for it. What have you prepared? What is what I'm gonna say at her funeral? Mm-hmm. I'm to give us a little taste?

I'm going to beatbox. Oh. Ha. Bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop Ever since that one Nsync song where Justin Timberlake just just went to town. I was like, oh Man, this is the most ridiculous start to a show I've ever done Good. I need to check into my mom cuz Mother's Day is coming up Okay Now normally I just get my mom a card but this year I got her a car boom Wow Who's her favorite prodigal son?

Yeah, there's two prodigal sons both both yeah, both me and my brother Andrew straight We went across the country she's got two prodigal sons you prodigal when we do return there will be no one there to kill the fatted calf mmm These are all things I worry about anyway., no, I got my mom a car. Oh my goodness. I just, the generosity that oozes out of me. What kind of car did you get her?

That's a beater. Mm-hmm. You know, no real lemon, but it's way worse than the car she was currently driving. No, but you know, listen, all she talks about now is there's just too much technology in it. Let's see if that old hag's just too much technology in it. Yeah Let's see that old hags up to I love her. Don't get me wrong

I've never once planned for her not answering her phone. What could she be doing at three o'clock on a Tuesday? That's prime awake time. Hello? Hey, two things. One, how many cinnamon rolls did you eat? Three. Seems like an unacceptable number. All right, and where's mom?

She's here, do you want her? Yeah, let me talk to her. Hello? Why weren't you answering your phone? I don't know, I was just looking at my phone, it was right there, doesn't seem so. What are you talking, did you change your number? Uh-oh. No, I always have at my phone, it was right there. Doesn't seem so. What are you talking, did you change your number? No. Uh-oh.

No, I did, I always have it silenced, but yeah, I didn't have it in my pocket. Sorry. Have you figured out how to get your phone hooked up to your new car, the Bluetooth? Is that what? No, no, dad's doing that. Dad is hooking his up, I'm not doing that.

I don't do all that that's crazy there's so much I mean I love the new car I really did but there's a lot of things that I don't even know how to work I don't even know how to open the sunroof and all the buttons on the top of it well you gotta get in there and tinker yeah what about I did well does the seat have massaging or no? I don't think so. Does our seat have massaging? What about cold air?

Ask them if it blows cold air. Does it blow cold air out of my butt? No, no. I bet it does. You think it does? Yeah, yeah. There's like next to the heated seats, there's like one that you make it press it again,

make it turn blue. Oh, by the way, this, this counts as my mother's day gift. What? This phone call? No, the car. I was going to say we're leaving, we're leaving this weekend for North Carolina. So I was going to tell you anyway, don't send flowers because we won't be here for a couple of weeks, two or three weeks, I think.

Is this your first road trip with the new whip? I really do like driving. And I, you know, the thing is, I know now I should have gotten rid of the old car, but it scared me, Daniel, that last time when it heated up and it said, get off right away, I thought it was going to blow up. It scared me a lot. And you know, we never had trouble till January, we started having one thing after another and it was so strange. So I hope Mike can sell it then. I, you know, I wish we had done it last fall when you had suggested, but, you know, I, oh, we should have done it ourselves.

We should have just gone down and traded that in and gotten the car ourselves. But I don't know. It's just the timing wasn't right or, but now I was afraid of that car in the end, you know, and it was such a good car for 15 years Oh, hey, sorry about that. I'm back. Um, oh You didn't hear anything I'm teasing. That's just a bit. I was just a bit. I heard everything he said. There's a little such a It's so long as the longest I've ever talked to you jeez

Pete was worried this wasn't gonna be long enough for an act one. This isn't gonna be on, this isn't like, no Daniel, don't say that. Don't worry about it. All right, let me go then. I got work to do. Safe travels, talk to you soon, love you.

Bye. Bye. I tell you what, I could use a nap now. And today's guest will watch me. Enjoy. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West.

I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and bestselling author and meat eater founder, Stephen Rinella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the ice age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent,

like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptUSkids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSkids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I found out I was related to the guy that I was dating. I don't feel emotions correctly. I am talking to a felon right now and I cannot decide if I like him or not. Those were some callers from my call-in podcast, Therapy Gecko.

It's a show where I take real phone calls from anonymous strangers all over the world as a fake gecko therapist and try to dig into their brains and learn a little bit about their lives. I know that's a weird concept, but I promise it's pretty interesting if you give it a shot. Matter of fact, here's a few more examples

of the kinds of calls we get on this show. I live with my boyfriend and I found his piss jar in our apartment. I collect my roommates' toenails and fingernails. I have very overbearing parents even at the age of 29 They won't let me move out of their house So if you want an excuse to get out of your own head and see what's going on in someone else's head search for Therapy gecko on the I heart radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts

It's the one with the green guy on it. They maven. I'm La Gata, the culture's favorite reggaeton historian, musicologist, public scholar, and recording artist. Yes, that means I've done the work. On my show, the Reggaeton con la Gata podcast, I'm not only talking to Florin Hennon, who has the number one reggaeton track in the world right now. I'm also going to be on Perreo to speak with music innovators like Rainao, who is known for her media roquera tracks and collaborating with artists like Bad Bonnie. We're also giving you the culture breakdown straight from the source. Listen to Reggaeton Cueva Gata

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Posh Show! My guest today has dedicated her life's work to my favorite part of the day. She has a medical degree in counting sheep. Please welcome the sleep guru herself, Meredith. Meredith, thank you for being here.

Hello, thank you for having me. My first question, Dr. Meredith, do you believe in ghosts? No. Hmm. It's good to hear. They still scare me though. Well, sure. If, a lot of things that aren't real,

if they appeared would terrify me. You were born in Korea and adopted by a family from Akron, Ohio. Now, I want you to be honest, as an infant, when you found out that you lived in Ohio, were you like, this is fucking horrible? My favorite t-shirt of all time is, it's a t-shirt of the skyline of Cleveland and it says Cleveland, you've got to be tough. Which is true. How is that skyline?

Is it, are there memorable buildings to make up that skyline in Cleveland? Not really, there's the Key Bank building and there's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Oh, that's right. I forgot about the Hall of Fame. That's kind of the highlight, yeah. Yeah, I've walked around that thing a few times.

Never stepped foot inside, but I've walked around it. As a first generation immigrant with white parents, what was Ohio like in the 80s? Were you aware? Did you feel like, oh. Yeah, I mean, I never even knew the term transracial adoptee until I think I moved to Seattle. But I caught, it does, you do have this like George of the jungle feel when you're like,

you're like Asian on the outside, but you feel like a white, you think like a white person. feel when you're like, you're like Asian on the outside, but you feel like a white, you think like a white person. And you have no. What does thinking like a white person mean? Well, I mean, the first time I kind of got to know a lot of Asians was when I went for my fellowship at Stanford and there were a lot of Asians there.

Stanford, hit the bell. That's another one. We have so many Stanford grads on this show. It's pretty remarkable. Yeah, I don't know, but you- That was the first time you met a lot of Asians there. Stanford, hit the bell. That's another one. We have so many Stanford grads on this show. It's pretty remarkable. Yeah, I don't know, but you- That was the first time you met a lot of Asians is here in California. Yeah, and you know, when you meet other Asians,

they have like a secret handshake and they expect you to know certain things. And when you don't, they're sort of like, you know, like it's what's wrong with you? Like, why don't you know? Or people will just start speaking in Korean to me. And I'm like, it does not compute. How about now?

So now I feel like I'm- Did you do a crash course? I did, like when I was in college, I took Korean and I met more Korean people, but still there's this feeling of like, kind of almost like an imposter syndrome. Like I don't belong in this group. You know, it's kind of an interesting, like racial identity to come from, I guess.

What about with your children? Are you making them more aware of their? So my daughter, she's in kindergarten, she came home and she said, I told her that she's half Korean, they were talking about that. And I said, you know, you're half Korean. And she said, well, will I be full Korean when I grow up?

That's a great question. That's a good kid. I like it. So it's hard to explain. Now, of course it is. Yeah. Oh, but it's fun. Yeah, it's interesting to explain.

You attended the Ohio State University. Yes. Did you say it like that? Yes. Like a complete asshole? That's how we say it. Ha ha ha ha. Because there's Ohio University.

I know. And you just, we don't wanna be University. I know. And you just, we don't wanna be associated. I don't think, those two rarely are confused with each other, but okay. Did you have a good time at that university? Quite a party school, no? I did, I had a really good time, really good time. Columbus has always been one of my favorite cities.

Really? To perform in. To do shows. Oh yeah. I love going there. What's your least favorite Ohio city? Dayton. Dayton? Dayton is awful. You ever been there? Just briefly. Oh, it's no good. That's a garbage city. John, John back there, he's from Ohio. So he cares about everything. Oh, I don't care. Where are you from in Ohio? I grew up very east, probably like two hours from Columbus. Okay, two hours from Columbus.

That's not even a place. Two hours you can go across the whole state. It takes four. All right. So you're a sleep expert. I am. I'm a sleep neurologist. Somebody has sleep problems.

What do they do? What are their normal complaints or problems when they come to you, what's the process? Basically I evaluate people and I try to use my training and try to classify their disorder into medical description. So for instance, snoring is a really common reason people will come see me, being sleepy during the day is really common, insomnia is really common. And then you'll get some unique things like sleepwalking,

acting out my dreams type things, nightmares. That's fun. People start walking around and doing things. It's interesting. My brother was actually a sleepwalker and he would do things like climb out, he would punch out his window and like jump off the roof and like run around and ring the doorbell.

And I have a lot more sympathy for my mom now that I'm a mom. I mean, that's a crazy person. It was very severe and it, I think it was like traumatizing. Were you terrified of him? Well, I was slept through it. Until one day.

But I mean, he used to walk, he went to Ohio University. And that explains it. And he said he would like wake up in the middle of like campus in his boxer shorts and be like, how did I get here? You know, he's still doing this nonsense. I think it's better now.

I think to some, he like grew out of it to some degree, but he like can't, if he goes to a hotel or like spends the night, he wants to sleep on the first floor of the basement. So there's like long lasting effects of it. Jesus. Yeah. I would travel with handcuffs and just literally handcuff me to the bed every night and then you can uncuff me in the morning. Not a bad idea.

I mean, there are some people that we have them like zip themselves up in like a really tight sleeping bag and like put mitts on their hands. And, you know, they can't have anything sharp in their room. Do you watch these people sleep? Is that part of your job ever? It is. Ugh, so weird. Ha!

Are you bored? What are you, he's got like a motion sensor that lets you know when the highlights are coming. Yeah, well, so we record it, and then I would page through it. You don't go to their house and just hover. No. Well, there's no personal visits. That seems like a fun thing to do.

Don't mind her, she's just gonna watch us tonight. Well, nowadays two people will record themselves, and they'll send me things. Sometimes I'll get a message on social media, can you just look at this video? And it's interesting sometimes sometimes the way people set up cameras and like people will like do it just of their eyes and I'll be like yeah that's just when as you're falling asleep your eyes kind of rove side to

side and it's just normal. They thought they were possessed or something? They thought it was something wrong. How many of your clients sleep issues are actually linked to unresolved trauma? I would say a pretty high percentage, maybe 30%. Okay, so you're basically a therapist. Yes. Are they expected to tell you, like, stuff that they went through? They don't always tell.

I've had people write me a letter years later and tell me something that they were holding in and they finally addressed it. Right, when I see you, what's the first thing we have to do? We would just talk for about an hour about your sleep, about your life, and me really understanding what you're trying to fix.

Insurance cover this? It does in Seattle, I bet. It does. Does it everywhere? It does. Do you take insurance or no? I take out of network insurance. Okay.

Do people in general sleep better in Seattle because of all the rain? I don't think so. I actually think the light-dark cycle I take out of network insurance. Okay. Do people in general sleep better in Seattle because of all the rain? I don't think so. I actually think the light dark cycle because it's so dramatic there probably messes with people. Plus there's all the tech people and they have issues. Why did you specialize in sleep?

One, I just thought it was interesting. Two, when you practice neurology and you see people having strokes and diagnose them with horrible things, you think, gosh, we've got to do something more about prevention. And so that really appealed to me. And back when I chose it as a profession, people thought it was really strange. Like it wasn't even a real field.

I remember being in, in my fellowship and meeting people and saying, is that like a real specialty? Like, I think they thought maybe I was kind of like a complimentary medicine type of doctor or something like, I just thought it was really interesting. You were ahead of the curve. Because now everyone cares so much. I mean, listen, oh, my father-in-law,

just watching him strap up his CPAP machine at night. And I'm just like, and then he's bragging about his scores in the morning. I'm just like, oh, I got over an 80. I'm like, is that good? It is good. Okay. How many hours of sleep does a healthy adult need?

At least seven. Between seven and nine, we like to say. Like there's this Goldilocks zone, not too little, not too much, but seven to nine. Is 11 depressing? 11, something's going on. Okay, that's what I'd like. No, I like, what do I like?

I can't even do the math. I'm at least an eight hour sleeper. That's for sure. That's good. But I don't sleep it straight. Is that okay that I get up three or four times in the night? Maybe two or three. Are they short? Very short, just to go to the bathroom.

Yeah. Okay, that's okay. We wake up after every sleep cycle. That's probably what's happening. If you think about it, it's like how to protect yourself if you're living in the wild, right? You wake up, you look around, and then you go back to sleep.

You're making sure everything's still okay. That's what I'm protecting my house. Oh man, that's good. That's also my biggest fear about jail. I don't think, sleep has affected my life to where I'm like, I don't ever wanna commit a crime because going to jail, that just seems like such a nightmare to me, how they sleep in there.

What do they do in jail? Well, I don't know. First of all, you only get one pillow, okay? And then there's a threat at all times, somebody doing something to you, like your brother, except for they're not asleep. Yeah. You know, I don't know, it just seems crazy.

If jail was like, oh, you can have three pillows and you can stay in your cell all day and sleep all day and night and we won't bug you, then I'd be like, okay, jail sounds okay. But the fact that it's like no rise and shine and you gotta get, why are they waking people up? I'll I'll be honest with I don't even know that they do but I always feel like I think they do anyway stroke prevention how is sleep related to this well if you have a sleep disorder you're more at risk for

vascular disease so heart attack and stroke because sleep plays such an important role in restoring our health and immune function. If we don't sleep well, our blood pressure goes up and that's a huge risk factor for vascular disease. I, this is great. All this stuff makes sense. Yeah, cause I, nothing bothers me more when I talk

to those people that are like, oh, just three or four hours, that's all I need. And I'm like, ugh. What's the best position to sleep in? Depends on what you're thinking about, but interestingly, there was a study that just came out in January in a very prestigious journal called Cell. These scientists think that when we sleep on our sides,

we can drain our veins in our neck. We have these big jugular veins in our neck. And this clearance of waste that happens when we sleep, we get better drainage when we sleep on our sides. And depending on how the anatomy of your venous drainage, clearance of waste that happens when we sleep, we get better drainage when we sleep on our sides. And depending on how the anatomy of your venous drainage, you may want to do both sides or sleep on one side, but. I like this answer.

I sleep on my sides, flip back and forth throughout the night. And then occasionally I'll do a little bit on my back and occasionally I'll do a little on my stomach. But for the most part, I don't have a set position. Now my wife just sleeps, doesn't move, doesn't remove the covers and just sweats all night long. I just find it disturbing and disgusting.

What's the ideal temperature we should be sleeping at? They say 65 to 68 degrees. Oh my God, that's my heaven. If you could talk my wife into 65, no, she would, it's like 72, just something awful. What kind of mattress should we be using? There is some personal preference what's subjective and for some people it depends on how much you weigh.

So the more you weigh the firmer mattress you're gonna need. But like a medium firm is generally like, you know, what most people are going to prefer. And there's some, a little bit of science around it should be heat dissipating. So, you know, it's keeping your body cool. You're not getting hot. Everything you're saying. She's wrong, right? Everything she sleeps wrong. She shouldn't be this hot. All right. That's a firmness mattress. But I do, I have a little bit of the acid reflexes.

So I've put the blocks up on the bed for a slight, that's fine, right? Yep. Or no? No, that's good. That's good. What about those beds that the old people have, the foldable ones? Are people actually sleeping in those things?

People do. There are some people that need to elevate more, either because their body weight, it helps them kind of mechanically breathe easier, or for reflux. Some people just have trouble getting out of bed, and so it's helpful for them. I don't like it when they have beds that are split in half,

where one half can do something and the other half, and then there's a seam in the middle. All of a sudden, I wanna roll over and say hi to what's her name, you know? Now I've got a seam. Well, but you know what? With the temperature thing like you're talking about, they have those cooling mattresses now

where you could have the cooling mattress on yours. I don't care, I don't care about any of this. And you know what the worst mattress is, are those air, any sleep numbers where they have the air, that's garbage. Is snoring a sign of someone getting real sound sleep or a sign that they're about to die? It's more on the about to die,

closer to the about to die. Although you can do that for a long time and your body sort of makes adaptations and they're not necessarily great adaptations. Like your brain stops being as arousable so you start becoming sleepier and sleepier. So that's why, you know, think about it. If someone's snoring really loud and they can sleep through that, you know, that's not natural. You should awaken to something that loud. This is great. See, I'm just thinking of my in-laws now because she has to have my mother-in-law has to have a sound machine on and a sound machine

as an adult seems unnecessary. She also has to have it complete black. There can be no light and then then he's got the CPAP machine on and it's just chaos in there. It's just the loudest noise. I have got children in the other room that don't need these type of distractions. What's wrong with them? Getting older. That's just, it seems like they're just making stuff up. Explain what sleep debt is to people

who might not be aware of the term and think it sounds like a hippie dippy bullshit. I think of it like sleep appetite. So whenever you stay awake, your body builds up neurotransmitters and that increases your need for sleep. So it's just like if you starve yourself for a while, you'll become hungry and hungrier. So we need a certain amount of sleep debt, 16 hours on average, to sleep eight hours at night. All right. I'll believe that. Can we catch up on sleep?

To some degree, yes. So for instance, if you're very sleep deprived, let's say you have a big test or something this week and you don't get great sleep, and then you can make up for it on the weekend. But if you're chronically sleep deprived, if you just think about in terms of math, if you add up those hours,

it becomes so many hours if you're chronically sleep deprived that you really can't catch up on it. My mother, I was not a great student. Now you were a great student, but my mother's advice to me always was, sometimes I would be overwhelmed about a test and her advice as a mother, instead of studying really hard,

I should be like, well, just make sure you have a good night's sleep. That was always her advice to almost everything. That's good advice. Just go to bed. That's really good advice. You think it's good advice good night's sleep. That was always her advice to almost everything. Just go to bed. It's really good advice. You think it's good advice, that's great. Well, you have to study, but then there are other studies

that show you're learning, you keep what you learned if you sleep after. Oh, well, I don't know. I think she was just like, I think you just need some sleep. I failed the test. She's like, well, were you rested? I felt great.

How long should it take you to fall asleep? About 15 minutes, 10, 15 minutes. No, I can fall asleep. I can beat that. You can? Oh, easily. Are you like, my head hits the pillow and? Naps, it's just, the second I am allowed to take a nap,

I just go to sleep. For how long? Well, I don't know. I mean, and. And. Ha ha. As long as I'm allowed to. If I had my dream nap, it would probably be close to an hour,

but usually they're much shorter than that. Is that too long? Is an hour too long? No, it's not too long. There are different lengths of naps that have different benefits. So like the power nap, you're getting a certain number of minutes of stage two

and that's performance enhancing. And then, you know, we say like the perfect nap is one sleep cycle mid day. And so there's like different times you would take it to try to get different distributions of your sleep stages. I just feel like I'm very European. I just need a nap after I eat. If I eat lunch, I want to go down. Almost immediately. Can

napping be a problem? The only time I'm really against them is for people who struggle with chronic insomnia. They're very counterproductive to that or sometimes people fall asleep on the couch and then they get up to go to bed and then they can't sleep because they've you know just slept for a while. My wife every night falls asleep on the couch at night and I'm like, well, why don't we just get up and go to bed? And she's like, I don't wanna go. I'm like, she just wants to go to sleep twice, basically.

That seems so unnecessary. But the ordeal of doing all the stuff before bed is too much, I guess. We have no TVs in any bedroom in our house, but everybody gets an iPad. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No, we don't have TVs. There's no TVs in any bedroom in our house. But everybody gets an iPad. I'm kidding. No, we don't have TVs. I remember when they were,

that was, I was like, no, there's like one, there's TV in the family room, the end. It's the phones and the screens that are the biggest problem with good sleep. I think so. I think that's a big part of it. Reading on your phone before bed, it's bad for us? We shouldn't do it? It's bad because it's the light for one is sending a signal that it's daytime.

Well, can't we change the light setting? It doesn't really filter it out completely. The little like blue, I forget what it's called, like dark mode or I forget what it's called. There's a dark mode. And then also what we're doing. There's a dark mode. And then also what we're doing, so if you're on social media or you're scrolling, it's kind of giving you little dopamine hits

and it just kind of keeps your day going where we need a little. But what if I'm just straight reading from the phone? I think that's okay. I mean, it's better. The less light, the better. When do you stop eating before bed? So I eat dinner around six o'clock

and I don't eat anything after that. You have dessert after dinner? No, I mean rarely, unless it's like a special occasion or. You don't have a sweet tooth or you just don't want to have dessert because it's not good for you? It will affect my sleep, I'll have reflux and also I just, if I do,

I'm gonna gain weight. You're a tiny person. I don't, is, you're really, do you, diet is a huge part of sleeping, right? It is, it is, more than people realize. They're entwined, they're synergistic with each other. So you're saying a minimum of three hours after your rest. I would say a minimum of three.

I love to eat and then, well, what about naps? It's okay to eat and then crash? If you eat before bed, you know, one, you can have like reflux and things like that, but also it moves your circadian rhythm, like your natural timing of sleep. It moves it a little later. So especially if you're someone who has trouble

getting up in the morning or going to bed at the right time, it can be very counterproductive. How come if I don't fall asleep right when I'm tired, then oh, there goes that opportunity to fall asleep? I don't know the answer to that question, but I do hear people say that a lot, that they almost feel like, you know, it's like a wave coming and you missed it

and you have to wait for the next one. Right, but that's not helpful if you can't tell me why. Do you sleep well? I do, I sleep extremely well. Have you always slept well? You know, I'm one of those good sleepers, but in sleep medicine you can be too sleepy. So I've definitely been on that end of the spectrum. Like we think of insomnia is when you don't sleep well,

but there can also be people who are too sleepy and sleep too much. And so I've definitely been on that end of the spectrum at times in my life. Are you married? I'm married. Okay. Your husband? Yes. Does he sleep well? He does.

Do you guys go to bed at the same time every night? We do, but we're kind of, we're both night owls, and so we sort of have a negative effect on each other. I don't like this. Okay, you're both night owls. So what time do you go to bed at night? Well, now because I have young kids, I try to go to bed by like 9.30, 10.

But before kids, it was like midnight. What time do you wake up? What time do the kids wake up? My kids wake up around 6.45, 7.00, but I get up at between 6 and 6.15. I'm just getting your routine. We have the exact same age kids. You have a two-year and a six year old.

We both have two year olds and six year olds. Every minute that I'm awake past them going to bed, I feel is wasted. I'm like, I should just go down. What am I doing? What? We're going to start a new series? Like, this is not the time. This is time to recharge.

So I try to go, I go to bed very early. Did your kids sleep well? Yes. I mean, I had to sleep train them, which for some reason is extremely controversial. Whenever I talk about it, people will, I'll get messages saying like, you're a child abuser. And that, who cares? No, I know. But, um, for some reason it's so controversial, but I did sleep train my first one around six months

and the second one I was just like three months, let's go. Oh, good for you. Now I sleep trained the first one and it took in like two days. Yes. It was like two days of torture, you know, doing the alarm on my phone, okay. But the second one didn't care as much

and she just figured it out pretty quickly. Both of my kids, great sleepers. And I see people that struggle, but they don't do the things necessary to stop it. So I'm like, well, I don't care anymore. Oh, you're tired? Well, yeah, your kid still sleeps in your bed and she's five.

Yes. What age do you put like pillows and blankets and stuff in there? I waited and you're technically supposed to wait until one year because of- I mean sometimes longer. Some of these pediatricians are like, don't put anything in there yet.

I'm like, what? My kid's got a pillow blanket, doesn't need a sleep sack and just sleeps. They're like, well, does she stay on the pillow? I'm like, for the most part. Yeah. How important are pillows? I guess I don't know the scientific answer to that,

but I think people find them to be helpful for neck support and I think they become something we're used to if we have them. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two. I'm a three. When? Well, no, I just got that.

Are they all under your head? No, no, but I have one like kind of like a firm-ish foam one that is down and then a really soft feather one on top of it that way I get the height But I still have the softness of the feather one smart Okay, then the other one is just for body and knees and stuff like that. I'm gonna use that in my clinic You can have that one. Okay. No, but my wife has just she's got all kinds of nonsense. She's got these square pillows that are supposed to help for back support. None of it I don't pay attention to. There's a wall between us at this

point and that both physical and emotional. Do women actually require more sleep than men? There are studies that show that women need a little bit more sleep than men, but it's a little bit murky because women also have more fragmented sleep and more sleep disruption. And so it's not really clear whether there's a physiologic need for more sleep or women just sleep a little bit more because it's more disrupted or they have more, you know, some women have more responsibilities if they carry the domestic load and then also working. So we don't really know if it's purely physiologic or it's a combination of things.

Did you work through your pregnancies or no? I did. Did you like that or no? You know, it would have been nice, I think to have a choice about it. I think I would have liked to work less than like normal. And it's definitely like a push pull where I love my work and I love what I do,

but I'm also aware of the fact that this is such a transient and important time to pay full attention to my kids. How did you sleep while you were pregnant? Not as good as I did. Well, sure. But was it miserable at the end or no? I had a lot of vivid dreams, which is very common. I had horrible reflux to the point where like one of my back,

like the back part of one of my teeth like shattered off because my reflux was so bad. Oh. So yeah, and then I had all the pillows. Did you do the big snake one that wraps around you? Yes. Oh, I hated that thing so much. The day that thing left our bedroom, I was just so excited.

Just because it takes up so much space or? I don't know. No, because putting the dumb pillowcase on it is maddening. It's so fucking hard. It's a two person job. I need somebody to hold while I'm pulling. I just, I didn't like that. My son doesn't close his eyes all the way when he sleeps.

Besides it just being creepy, is there anything I need to do? Is it all the time or just? Like when I see him sleeping, I'm like, there's just a little bit open. You know, people that sleep with their eyes a little bit open. I think just as long as his eyes aren't dry,

just making sure that his eyes stay, you know, Okay. lubricated. I think you know, lubricated. I think his eyes are lubricated. Where do you add on giving kids fistfuls of melatonin? Not good. Not good? Good to know. I would never do that. What about melatonin in general? I like melatonin for very specific reasons for short periods of time. I think it can be appropriate, but it shouldn't be a substitute for trying to form the natural behaviors and creating

patterns and consistency with your kids around bedtime. Okay, have you ever used it for your kids? A few times. Okay, me too. What should we sleep in and what do you think of people that sleep naked? It's disgusting? Leading the witness? No comment. Okay.

Are you a naked sleeper? Is that what I just learned by you saying no comment? No, I'm not. I think you have to dress for the climate you live in. You know, I mean. Nonsense. No, I mean. Bedrooms are controlled climates.

Well, not necessarily. Like in Seattle, no one has air conditioning, right? And so- Malibu, nobody has air conditioning. Really? Okay. But is there a nice breeze all the time? Yeah, always. Okay. But if it's really hot, you know, obviously you're gonna sleep in something lighter,

but you know, they say like moisture wicking and like heat dissipating fabrics are good. But honestly, those things are like icing on the cake. It's not a, it's, you don't have to have those things to be a good sleeper, but honestly those things are like icing on the cake. It's not a nest. It's you don't have to have those things to be a good sleeper, but they can, I think they can enhance the experience, right? Just like the pillows. I've just recently gotten pajamas.

Oh really? Like actual pajamas. Cause my wife's like, what are you doing? Why don't you have any nice pajamas? I don't like sleep. My grandpa, I have one pair of his pajamas because I, I, I, as a child, I would always, I can, I remember all of his pajamas. And he had all those like the pants

with the shirt and the button. I'm like, he's sleeping in a little suit. Everybody that's on the show gets a gift. It's just stuff I bring from my house. You're not gonna like any of these things. Don't worry about it. I tell my kids, they have birthday parties. You do birthday parties for your kids?

Do you invite their friends Yes, do you allow their friends to bring gifts? I yes, okay. I say no gifts. I'm always like no no gifts No, thank you. Just whatever I don't care and then everybody still brings gifts. Well, guess what I don't give them to my kids I know I I know, I store them and then whenever I need a gift for some reason it's like boom we've got a gift ready to go. Do your kids know? No no. Okay.

No, no I don't tell them. Okay. By the way, they get gifts, we give them gifts for their birthday but when I'm having a party for their birthday but I just want the kids to come over and play and I don't want this big thing of everybody bringing gifts but then sure enough everybody brings gift my son's birthday party just happened his six-year party and Eddie that works here three people got him magic sets now first of all, I don't want my kid playing magic Here so there's a magic kit for your daughter. I want her to do that. Unopened.

Magic's too hard. You can throw that on the floor. Throw that on the floor. There's gonna be more gifts. You're gonna come home with magic. Do you know how hard it is to do magic? It's impossible. You have to practice.

I don't know, my kids, I'd rather them learn the piano. I don't want him spending all this time in his room becoming a magician. That's just weird. Now he's got three kits. The one got him is he he opened it too quickly so I couldn't regift it That's not that one. It was like 3,000 pieces. Anyway, that's nothing Your other daughter your two-year-old these are nice unused book unicorn And you just come home with something to make some happy. There you go. Give that to her.

Now I don't have to shop for them to bring them gifts. You don't. Right, exactly. We'll put that in there. Thank you. Here. Now, your husband, he watched my show, right? He is a super fan. Okay, look at this. This is an award I received.

It is presented to Dan and I to celebrate my one millionth Tosh.0 download. It must have been something on an app or something stupid. I've never had any awards hung anywhere. I gotta get rid of that. I'm gonna sign that for him. Oh yes, I guarantee you he will put it in his office. Oh, that's good.

You tell him to take that. That's okay. Now, I like candles, but you can't sleep with them burning. Right. Right? Oh, so I had a bunch of faint candles, but my wife was like, we can't have faint candles. And I was like, okay, so we'll just get rid

of all these candles, you're gonna love these. You just, I think there's still batteries in these. Yeah, this one's still, hey, look at that. Which is, they've got remote control. You can put those in your kid's room, then it's safe. They can just have candles. I just was like, I do not need. She- We're gonna have to get another suitcase. No, no. We'll ship that for you.

Don't worry about it. There's remote controls. You can put them on timers. I don't even... My kids just use... Doesn't matter. We'll get rid of those. You'll love those. You'll love those. I feel like I'm on the Price is Right. More like Let's Make a Deal where you win the awful thing.

But we're going to have to get those off the desk. I'm sorry. It's a lot. I know. But you know, I'll give you a box. I can handle it. Have you made contact with your biological parents? I haven't made contact, but I have attempted to.

I have done what's called like a search through the adoption agency, but they aren't able to put me in contact, but I have tried. You know if I didn't have little kids right now and I had the bandwidth I sort of wish I would have done it when I was younger. Okay. But people have told me that it's possible and You have to go to Korea? You have to go to Korea and you have to hire like a private detective or you have to hire like a private detective or you have to basically find them. I think that's the real hurdle is that,

especially in Korea, that's why you're given up for adoption is there's so much shame about being an unwed mother. And even if in my case, from the information I have, it's really forced upon by the family because not only are you bringing shame to yourself, you're bringing shame to the whole family. And so they sort of don't wanna be found. And so for some of the people I know

that have found their families, they still didn't, it was like still a secret. It was like, I'll talk to you, but there's not gonna be any like reunions or anything because I have my family now and they don't know about you. Now as an adoptive individual, how do you feel about the experience overall and what advice would you offer to someone considering it?

The main thing that I would tell people is keep the connection between the biological family. You don't necessarily have to have a relationship the whole childhood, but maintain that identity and the connection so that if the child has questions and wants to seek that out someday, they have a right to go ask those questions. I mean, health benefits alone.

Yeah, health benefits for sure. I've looked into adopting before. I think in California, now in California, all adoptions have to be open adoptions. It can't be a sealed off private like they used to be. Is that true or no? I don't know that for sure. I think that's true.

I don't know, that was what I was told now that, which I think is a good thing is what you're saying is what we should do. Can you have a nightmare and still have good sleep? You can, a lot of it has to do with the way the person subjectively interprets that experience. Usually when people come to see me for that, they're not having a good sleep.

I mean, that's why they're there, to see me. Is lucid dreaming a real thing? It is. Can you do it? I've experienced it, but I'm not one of the rare people that can do it frequently, who experiences it frequently. But I've never really trained. I think you have to train yourself to some degree.

How do we know that people are actually good at it and or doing what they say? We just have to take people's word. There's no way to track it, right? Yeah, but sometimes you, you know, like there's a famous researcher that did these experiments where he would be following people's eye movements

and they would wake up and say they were playing like a ping pong match and you know, there can be little things like that. And then- Okay, well that's the one thing that goes back and forth. That's true. But no, you do have to take their word for it. Yeah.

I mean, I've tried to control a dreamer too, but at some point I'm like, I'm just wide awake at this point. I'm not, this is no longer a dream. Well, you're supposed to ask yourself during the day, am I dreaming, am I dreaming? And then by saying that and practicing it, then that should happen to you when you're dreaming.

And then supposedly you'll realize that you're dreaming. That's supposedly the first step. And then once you have that awareness that you're dreaming, then you can try to control the dream. All right, I'm gonna start working on it. Am I dreaming? Am I dreaming? I'm gonna do that all day long.

Do dreams mean anything? I think it depends who you ask, but they're basically going to contain content from the day, important things that happen during the day. And then basically what's happening is the brain is scanning memories and trying to make associations between past memories. And so what we remember about them is what we call dreams. I mean, we all dream every night and we're not consciously

aware of it or don't remember it. But I think there is a whole community in neuroscience. These are like legitimate researchers that believe there's so much about our unconscious awareness and our intuition that does have meaning but we just don't we don't have a lot of answers about it but I do think to answer you I do think they have meaning but maybe not the way maybe not the way we think about that they have meaning. Are there things I can do to improve my quality of sleep? Sleep hygiene, which we all hear about, it's kind of like, we think of it

like getting a dental cleaning. So maintaining good sleep hygiene. So that's minimizing caffeine, minimizing alcohol, keeping consistent bedtimes and wake times, not watching TV in your bed, keeping your bedroom just for intimacy and just for sleep. Those things are protective against developing a sleep disorder. So that's number one. Number two, I would say all of these health things like nutrition and exercise,

physical fitness, emotional health, they're all, you know, they all are synergistic. So anything that promotes your wellness and health is good for sleep. And what it really comes down to a lot from a medical perspective is vascular health. So like having normal cholesterol, having normal blood pressure, having a healthy body weight,

those are all things that will promote long-term. All right, well, Dr. Meredith, thank you for being on the show and I appreciate it. Thank you for having me. Okay. available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser-known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best-selling author and meat-eater founder,

Stephen Ronella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm also going to be on Perreo to speak with music inhibitors like Raina, who is known for her media rockera tracks and collaborating with artists like Bob Baldy. We're also giving you the culture breakdown straight from the source.

Listen to Reggaeton Cueva Gata on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it.

I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptUSkids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I found out I was related to the guy that I was dating. I don't feel emotions correctly.

I am talking to a felon right now and I cannot decide if I like him or not. Those were some callers from my call-in podcast, Therapy Gecko. It's a show where I take real phone calls from anonymous strangers all over the world as a fake gecko therapist and try to dig into their brains and learn a little bit about their lives. I know that's a weird concept, but I promise it's pretty interesting if you give it a shot. Matter of fact, here's a few more examples of the kinds of calls we get on this show.

I live with my boyfriend, and I found his pizjar in our apartment. I collect my roommates' toenails and fingernails. I have very overbearing parents even at the age of 29 they won't let me move out of their house. So if you want an excuse to get out of your own head and see what's going on in someone else's head search for therapy gecko on the iHeartRadio app, podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's the one with the green guy on it. Posh show. Thank you, Meredith.

Can't wait to get home tonight, crawl into bed. You know what keeps me awake at night? Noise. Mostly noise. If everybody shut the fuck up, I'll fall asleep. How about you? You can fall asleep under any circumstance. Well, it's time for the segment we call Hello from Toss Show. That's where one of our lucky subscribers gets a personal shout

out from me. This is to a Brett Hamilton who proposed to his wife on a night They saw me perform in Las Vegas back in 2015 I'm told the marriage is still working out. So I'd like to wish them a happy tenth anniversary To mr. And mrs. Brett Hamilton. I don't know his wife's first name Let's just guess What do you think Ed? Claire. Claire Hamilton. Beautiful name. Bret and Claire.

I'm guessing this would be their second marriage. Yeah, name like Claire. You got to name like Claire. That's not your first, this is not your first rodeo. Exactly. Anyway, what else we got? Oh, I've got some plugs to do. Our traditional plugs.

ToshShowStore.com. Eddie's tour and my tour, Midwest in June and tickets on sale now for Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Francisco. That's kind of a mid-California. Now it's time for the free plug. Carl, you ready for this free plug? This week's free plug is from Brownville Historical Society's Spring Flee Market. It's less than one month away, so mark your calendars. This is the world's almost largest flea market, according to their website. The market will be open from 8 AM to 5 PM, May 24th through the 26th. And before you ask, most vendors are cash only, but more and more do take cards.

You think they take Apple Pay or no? Probably not. Yeah. Nobody at those flea markets can ever get the Apple Pay to work. Nope. Now that's always frustrating. Hey, do you have cash? No, I don't have cash.

That's why I'm handing you my phone. There is one ATM in town, located inside TJ's Tavern at the corner of Main Street and Highway 136 pop in for an early morning pint and get loose take out 500 cash and buy some knickknacks or bric-a-brac whatever. Alright there's gonna be several food vendors ranging from funnel cakes to ribs and hamburgers. That's not really much of a range. What do you expect? This is Southeast Nebraska. You're practically in Missouri.

They're not known for any type of food, are they? I can't imagine. Anyway, you're encouraged to park on the side of the street in Brownville and along Highway 126. They're encouraging you to park along a highway? It can't be a real highway. Nope. It's gotta be like a slow speed limit there.

Main street will be inaccessible during the flea market hours. So don't even think about trying to park there. Public restrooms are located in the town hall. Oh man, they're gonna let everybody from a flea market take a dump in the town hall? Roll in there. Oh, that's irony, right?

Fungal cakes. Ugh. What do you buy at a flea market? Is there like go-to things that you want? Lawn art. A flea market is just like a farmer's market, but just stuff, not food, right? Yeah, it makes sense. That's just the deal.

I mean, are people like making new stuff? Flea market's not always just a, it's not like a garage sale, is it? No, I would say it's elevated. It's an elevated garage sale. Yeah, it's much bigger. Right, but I mean some people just like, they have, they're selling brand new art and things.

Craft stuff. Yeah. Crafts. I tell you what, what's better, a flea market or a craft fair? Flea market flea markets better than a craft fair. Yeah, you get hamburgers at flea markets Oh, there's no hamburgers at a craft fair. Oh, that's interesting. See, I think I think I'm used to craft fairs I don't think I'm going to flea markets very often. You know what? I might go to this flea market when I'm up in Omaha. How far away is Brownville from Omaha? That's what I need to know.

I would definitely fly in for this. This looks like I'm going to need a full day to get through it. And parking's free. This is a good deal all around. Well, I can't wait to get up there and spend some quality time with the good people in South East Nebraska. We'll see you next week. Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone

so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater podcast network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

wherever you get your podcasts. I'm ready to fight. Oh, this is fighting words. Okay. I'll put the hammer back. Hi, I'm George M. Johnson, a bestselling author with the second most banned book in America. Now more than ever, we need to use our voices to fight back. Part of the power of black queer creativity

is the fact that we got us, you know? We are the greatest culture makers in world history. Listen to Fighting Words on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hi, I'm Sam Mullins, and I've got a new podcast coming out called Go Boy, the gritty true story of how one man fought his way out of some of the darkest places imaginable. Roger Caron was 16 when first convicted.

Has spent 24 of those years in jail. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptUSkids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSkids,

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council.