KERA's Think Don’t worry if you can’t sleep
Aug 12, 2025
Jennifer Senior, a staff writer at The Atlantic specializing in social issues and mental health, shares her insights on sleep anxiety and the challenges of achieving restful sleep. She discusses the paradox of sleep tracking technology, which may heighten anxiety instead of helping. Highlighting personal experiences, Senior delves into insomnia's emotional toll and the stigma around sleep aids. She also critiques societal expectations of sleep duration and advocates for a compassionate approach to those struggling with sleeplessness.
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Perfect Early Sleep Rhythm
- Jennifer Senior slept a near-perfect 1–9 schedule in early adulthood and described her sleep as "regulated as an atomic clock."
- She adjusted her work life to fit her night chronotype and maintained that rhythm until insomnia began.
Sudden, Unexplained Insomnia
- Jennifer Senior describes an idiopathic onset of insomnia in her late 20s where one night she simply couldn't fall asleep until five a.m. and that pattern worsened.
- There was no clear trigger and she compared the feeling to being poisoned and broken.
Medication Experience And Stigma
- Jennifer tried Ambien and benzodiazepines and found Ambien made her tearful and irritable while Xanax and later Klonopin helped more.
- She accepts long-term low-dose Klonopin and challenges the stigma around responsible sleep medication use.