Can you hear me now?

Good!

A quick note before we dive in today:

Direct sponsorships are coming back (in the free editions)

From 2002 to 2011, Paul Marcarelli traveled the country testing Verizon network coverage, asking: “Can you hear me now? Good.”

It became America’s most recognized catchphrase, helping Verizon cement its position as having the most reliable network.

So what should business do in 2025 and beyond if you want people to associate your brand with reliability, but would prefer to avoid walking around with a flip phone repeating the same catchphrase over and over?

My best suggestion: Try sponsoring Understandably and Big Optimism!

You’ll be supporting newsletters you already read while reaching super-engaged audiences.

I’m officially launching this next week, but as someone who reads my work, I think it’s only fair to give you first crack before it’s all public, in case it interests you or your company.

• So, if you run a business and want to reach 110,000+ business readers in Big Optimism, or 150,000 subscribers in Understandably, rates for my loyal readers start as low as $450 per placement.

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• Interested? Fill out this 2-minute form, and I’ll send you more details and pricing for your specific situation before it all goes live. (Probably a lot sooner, but I’m setting expectations.)

Thanks! Now back to Understandably…

Night Owl

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been something of a night owl, but when I read studies like the one I’m sharing today, I start to question my life choices.

Let’s go straight to the research.

A groundbreaking study that used biodata collected on more than 88,000 people found that poor sleep behavior is correlated to increased incidence of at least 172 diseases, including everything from asthma to the zoster virus.

(The varicella-zoster virus is what causes chicken pox and shingles; yes I went looking for something on the list that began with Z to balance the A for asthma).

The UK Biobank

Unlike many other studies that focus largely on self-reported sleep habits — starting with how long people think they sleep each day — the fact that this study was based on the UK Biobank, which is a long-term databank of health-related data and biosamples — gave the researchers much more information to work from.

For example, they were able to correlate things like the stability of people’s circadian rhythms and how consistently they stuck to the same bedtimes and wake-up times.

A few specific examples:

• Of the 92 diseases, researchers suggest that 92 of them have at least a 20 percent risk pattern associated with poor sleep habits.

• Unusual bedtimes (meaning anyone who goes to bed habitually after 12:30 a.m.) were associated with a 257 percent higher chance of being diagnosed eventually with liver cirrhosis.

• And “low interdaily stability,” which we take to mean changing sleep patterns significantly from day to day, resulted in a 261 percent higher chance of gangrene over the 6.8-year study period.

Correlation versus causation

I’m sorry: gangrene?!

Frankly, that last example drives home that we have to be careful about our old friend “correlation versus causation” here.

For example, one very plausible theory is that people who stay up late, or whose bedtimes change every day, or for whom change is the only constant when it comes to sleep hygiene, might simply be much more likely to engage in riskier behavior than those who don’t fit those patterns.

If you live your life according to the guidance of, say, Eric Clapton in 1970 (namely, “After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down”), perhaps you’re more likely to habitually drink alcohol to excess, which is linked with liver cirrhosis.

Or else, if your schedule is such that your bedtime varies day to day, maybe you’re less likely to be consistent with other life habits, like diet and exercise, which we know are linked to many other diseases.

Don’t lose sleep over it

The research, led by scientists at Peking University and Army Medical University in China, was published in the journal Health Data Science.

“Our findings underscore the overlooked importance of sleep regularity,” said senior author Shengfeng Wang. “It’s time we broaden our definition of good sleep beyond just duration.”

Packaging it all up, it seems that late bedtimes aren’t great for health, but as Wang says, perhaps there are also other factors to keep an eye on.

If you’re the type of person who winds up working past 1 a.m. each night, but manages to sleep in until 8 a.m. consistently — maybe that’s something to take comfort in.

I’m not saying don’t question your life choices. Just don’t lose any sleep over them.

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7 other things worth knowing

• This shutdown could be different: The last time Senate Democrats found themselves taking the blame for a government shutdown, they quickly caved and raced to reopen federal agencies in 2018 after only three days. This shutdown could be different. The Democrats from red states who decried the shutdown strategy as a foolish miscalculation with President Trump seven years ago are long gone. The ideological makeup of the party has shifted to the left, and Democrats are now bracing for an extended confrontation. The same dynamic is at play in the G.O.P., which has lurched to the right under Mr. Trump and no longer sees any room for compromise. (The New York Times)

• The U.S. shed 32,000 private-sector jobs in September, payroll-processing giant ADP said on Wednesday, down from a revised loss of 3,000 in August. Economists had expected an increase of 45,000. ADP’s report doesn’t include government workers, but economists are giving it a closer look this month. That is because the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly jobs report, which was scheduled to come out this Friday, will be delayed if the government is still shut down. (WSJ)

• Three in 10 people now say that Americans may have to resort to violence to get the country back on track, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. To be sure, a strong majority disagree with that (70%), but the 30% who now say violence may be necessary is up 11 points since April 2024, an increase driven by Democrats. Eighteen months ago, just 12% of Democrats agreed; now, 28% do. A slightly higher percentage of Republicans — 31% — also say Americans may have to resort to violence. (NPR)

• At least six North Carolina beach houses crumbled into the ocean Tuesday as Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda roared past the East Coast. Five houses – all built on stilts – collapsed Tuesday in Buxton, the easternmost-elbow of the vulnerable Outer Banks. Overnight, the sixth home fell and was destroyed. Frightening footage captured one of the homes swaying on its stilts over the churning and overflown sea, before pieces began to fall from the structure and the home nosedived into the waves. (New York Post)

• A new report on book bans in U.S. schools finds Stephen King as the author most likely to be censored and the country divided between states actively restricting works and those attempting to limit or eliminate bans. (AP)

• Dr. Jane Goodall, the renowned conservationist and animal welfare advocate who became the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees after spending decades studying them in the wild in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park, has died. She was 91. According to a statement on from her eponymous institute, she died of natural causes while on a speaking tour in California. She leaves behind her son, Hugo, and three grandchildren. (People)

• America’s Most Dog-Friendly City Has Had Enough: In San Francisco, pets put their paws on cafe counters, roam sports bars and lick gym-goers during sit-ups. (WSJ)

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Thanks for reading. Photo by Dmitrii Zhodzishskii on Unsplash. I wrote about some of this before at Inc.com. See you in the comments.