Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and her Surprising Sleep Routine
51m | Apr 19, 2021In this episode
- How Stacey Plaskett usually sleeps — and why she says she has never been a great sleeper
- The effect of the 2017 Virgin Islands hurricanes on her nighttime stress
- Teeth grinding, a custom mouth guard and repeated awakenings
- What Plaskett did the night before presenting in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial
- Why cleaning and cooking function as therapy for her
- Warm showers, body temperature and sleep onset
- What newer evidence says about lavender and aromatherapy
- Why bourbon can feel sedating while still disrupting sleep architecture
- Dr. Dayna Johnson’s work on racial disparities in sleep
- Why the archive now treats the episode’s slavery-to-sleep claim with more nuance
- Later school start times and Plaskett’s idea for examining post-hurricane school shifts in the Virgin Islands
- The origin of the episode’s 16.5% teen-crash statistic
- Plaskett’s not-quite-spoken suggestion about sex and sleep
- Grandner’s scientific take on sexual activity as a possible sleep aid
- What 2023–2025 research added to that question
- How Season Two’s celebrity-tip → scientific-filter → Neil-tests-it format was supposed to work
About the guests
Stacey E. Plaskett is the at-large Delegate representing the U.S. Virgin Islands in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2021, Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed her as one of nine House impeachment managers for the second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. She continues to represent the Virgin Islands in the 119th Congress, serving on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Ways and Means Committee and Budget Committee.
Michael A. Grandner, PhD, is a behavioral sleep-medicine specialist at the University of Arizona. He directs the Sleep and Health Research Program and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, and his research examines sleep health, insufficient sleep, cardiometabolic and neurocognitive outcomes, sleep disparities and behavioral interventions.
MENTIONED
Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett
Official House biography and current committee assignments.
Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial
House history of the impeachment and the nine managers appointed to conduct the case in the Senate.
U.S. House History, Art & Archives
Dr. Michael Grandner — University of Arizona
Current profile for the director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic.
Center for Sleep and Circadian Studies
Warm showers and baths before bedtime
2019 systematic review and meta-analysis of passive body heating and sleep.
Lavender essential oil and sleep
2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.
Alcohol and subsequent sleep
2024 systematic review and meta-analysis showing REM disruption even at relatively low doses.
Alcohol, snoring and sleep apnea
Systematic review and meta-analysis examining apnea severity and oxygen saturation after alcohol.
Sleep inequality — Dr. Dayna Johnson
Emory overview of Johnson’s work on racial disparities, neighborhoods and sleep.
Black–White differences in sleep
Review of established racial differences in sleep quantity, quality and sleep-disorder risk.
Discrimination and sleep
Systematic review finding consistent associations between discrimination and poorer sleep outcomes.
Later school start times — 2024 evidence
Meta-analysis of 37 studies linking later starts with longer weekday sleep and less social jet lag.
The 16.5% teen-crash study
The county study behind the specific crash statistic mentioned in the episode.
Sex and sleep — 2019 survey
The study already available when this episode aired, examining perceived sleep effects of sexual activity and orgasm.
Sex and sleep — 2023 diary study
Partnered sex with orgasm was associated with shorter perceived sleep latency and better sleep quality.
Sex and sleep — 2025 pilot experiment
A small cohabiting-couple study examining objective and subjective sleep after sexual activity.
How Your Race Impacts Your Sleep with Dr. Dayna Johnson
The Snooze Button episode referenced during the Plaskett interview.
Chilina Kennedy and the Science of Comfort
The earlier Season Two episode referenced in the conversation.
