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Embodied

Navigating Chronic Insomnia In A Sleep-Obsessed Culture

By Kaia Findlay,
Anita Rao, Amanda Magnus, Wilson Sayre
Published October 10, 2025 at 1:01 PM EDT
The Embodied logo, which features the silhouette of a person that is dark blue with small white dots all over it, like stars. There is a cartoon person standing in front of the silhouette with brown skin, brown hair and glasses wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, yellow pants and white shoes. She is pulling back the dark blue fabric to reveal a yellow-orange interior to the silhouette. The background of the logo is light blue and has the word "Embodied" at the top, with the NPR Network logo underneath it on the left-hand side and WUNC underneath it on the right-hand side.

Chronic insomnia affects 12% of adults in the U.S. A journalist and a couple share what they’ve learned about living with persistent sleeplessness.

For almost 29 years, journalist Jennifer Senior was a self-described “brilliant sleeper.” Then, one night, something changed … and Jennifer has struggled with chronic insomnia ever since. She talks to host Anita Rao about her research and insights into insomnia from both her reporting and personal life. Jennifer is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of the article “Why Can’t Americans Sleep?”

Then, Anita meets Gabrielle Moss and Jesse Rifkin, a couple whose relationship has been shaped by struggles with insomnia. They share how they have navigated their sleep issues together and offer suggestions for others who are dealing with insomnia in a romantic partnership. Gabrielle and Jesse are both writers based in New York City.

Read the transcript

Embodied
Kaia Findlay
Kaia Findlay is the lead producer of Embodied, WUNC's weekly podcast and radio show about sex, relationships and health. Kaia first joined the WUNC team in 2020 as a producer for The State of Things.
See stories by Kaia Findlay
Anita Rao
Anita Rao is an award-winning journalist, host, creator, and executive editor of "Embodied," a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships & health.
See stories by Anita Rao
Amanda Magnus
Amanda Magnus is the executive producer of Embodied, a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships and health. She has also worked on other WUNC shows including Tested and CREEP.
See stories by Amanda Magnus
Wilson Sayre
Wilson Sayre is WUNC's Director of Digital Content leading our podcasting strategy and initiatives. She has worn many hats in the audio world as an editor, producer, consultant and team lead. Wilson was Managing Producer at Pushkin (previously Transmitter Media) where she helped launch shows like Am I Normal, the TED Interview and The Heist. Before that, she served as Executive Producer at Capitol Broadcasting Company and lead reporter for The City podcast from USA Today. Prior to that, she covered social safety net programs at WLRN, Miami's NPR member station. There, she founded the station's youth radio program. Wilson's work has been recognized by the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize and national Edward R. Murrow Awards. Wilson grew up in North Carolina and enjoys playing banjo and eating chocolate, usually not at the same time.
See stories by Wilson Sayre