Why Your Brain Loves an Organized Space
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There's a reason the Sleep Number Smart Bed is the number one best bed for couples. It's because you can each choose what's right for you whenever you like. Firmer or softer on either side, Sleep Number does that. One side cooler and the other side warmer, Sleep Number does that too. You have to feel it to believe it. Sleep better together. Why choose a Sleep Number Smart Bed? So you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. Sleep Number Smart Beds start at $999.

Prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii, exclusively at a Sleep Number store near you. See store or sleepnumber.com for details. Welcome to Paging Dr. Gupta. As you know by now, this is the podcast where your health questions drive the conversation. And it's so fascinating to hear what's on your mind. So Kira, who's up first?

All right, Sanjay. First up, we have Annie from New York City. And I feel like now is the time that a lot of people are starting to spring clean. And so her question couldn't come at a better time. So let's take a listen.

Hi, this is Annie. I'm 22 and I'm calling you because I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on how our space impacts our happiness. Living in New York, our quarters are very tight. My room is very small and I'm wondering how organization in space impacts my happiness and whether I should be prioritizing that more to increase my quality of life. Well, Annie, first of all, thank you for the question.

I have to tell you, you're 22 years old. I have three daughters who are just a little bit younger than you. So this topic comes up in our own home all the time. And my oldest daughter, she's now in college. And we just had a conversation about her space recently as well. And I'll tell you, it's interesting because I think when they were younger, my daughters were not great about keeping their space uncluttered.

but it has changed throughout their lives. So maybe these things sort of evolve. I'm not sure, but I'd be curious about that for you as well. Was this something that you dealt with your whole life, sort of the idea of thinking about organization, or is this something more recent? Nevertheless, you know, there's the old adage that a cluttered space leads to a cluttered mind. Not everyone agrees with that, but I think there's probably some degree of truth.

Research has shown that living in a cluttered environment can trigger anxiety, it can trigger stress, and it can trigger something that I've come to describe as cognitive burden. It's almost like you have a certain amount of cognitive resilience every day. If you're living in a cluttered space, it may soak up some of that cognitive resilience and it adds sort of an additional cognitive burden that you don't need. So the space that we live in affects our mood, it affects our stress, it affects our overall well-being.

I think part of the problem is that just initiating what to tackle first, how to prioritize what to tackle first, that is the big challenge. Just the initiation phase. There's a sense of chaos that makes those simple, usually simple everyday tasks just feel harder.

So that means the key is to not make yourself feel bad about it, because when you beat yourself up or label yourself as lazy for not tackling the simple task, that's not motivating. That's additionally draining. That adds to the cognitive load, the cognitive burden. The shame that we feel uses valuable mental energy, making it harder for our brains to focus and get things done. So I think there's a really important lesson in there, which is a simple one. Just start.

Just start organizing. Just start decluttering. By the way, perfectionists, they're not off the hook either because the thing about trying to maintain a perfect space, that can also increase anxiety because things are not going to stay perfectly clean forever. And that's going to leave you unable to fully relax or ever enjoy your space because you're always thinking about decluttering it because nothing stays perfect forever.

So the goal should not be perfection. It should be about creating a space that works for you, not against you. So daily life feels a bit easier. But again, just starting, just initiating, just doing something, that's probably the critical first step. As a general rule, Annie, cleaning and organizing isn't easy for everyone. Think about like the last time you had a really stressful day.

Have you ever had one of those days where whether it was emotional or work or whatever, you hit like two o'clock and your brain just won't work anymore? That's Casey Davis. She's a therapist, author, and you might remember her from one of our Chasing Life episodes where she discussed this link between messiness and mental health. Doing tasks like laundry or dishes or picking up toys or whatever it is.

It takes a lot of what's called executive functioning. And executive functioning skills happen in your prefrontal cortex. So it's the part of your brain that does time management, that does task initiation, that looks at something and breaks it down into steps. And if those things are all firing on all cylinders for you, it feels automatic. You just decide to do the dishes and you do them.

If there's some disruption to your executive functions, you look at the dishes and go, I got to do the dishes. And you can't. What happens next? You feel frozen or you feel overwhelmed.

Here's what Casey, I think, is trying to say, is that when we're already stressed or distracted, then even a small task can feel impossible, right? It's not that the task is that challenging, it's that you're showing up already stressed or distracted. And, you know, conditions like ADHD, anxiety, sleep deprivation, just feeling burned out, that's going to interfere with your ability to actually stay focused and complete the task. So Casey's advice is simple. When you feel overwhelmed,

That's the time to break the task down into smaller steps. That can make a big difference. She has a method called, quote, the five things to simplify organizing your space. You know, when I look at a messy room, I tell myself there's really only five things in every room. Even if it looks like there's a thousand, there's only five. There's trash, dishes, laundry, things that have a place that are not in their place. And then things that don't have a place, meaning like they don't have a place to go.

So when we use the five things method, what we do is we get a trash bag and we go, you know, all I'm doing is picking up trash, just trash. I can ignore everything else. Now we've kind of put ourselves on a one track mind, right? We're looking for one specific thing. We see the one specific thing. We throw the thing away. We're looking for one specific thing. We see the ones that I see how repetitive that is.

So it doesn't require a lot of executive functioning to do that repetitive thing over and over and over. And once that's done, I move on to the dishes. And I'm just putting them into the sink, not doing them. I'm just putting because that's easy. Then I do the same thing with my laundry in the baskets. And then, you know, I might pick a space in the room and go clockwise and put everything away that I know already has a space. And then I have my pile of things that don't have a place. Now, that's really the hard stuff.

And now maybe I can go, okay, are there some things in here? Where can I put them? How can I organize them? Or the best part, if I'm really rushed, I can go, I'm just going to put them in a basket for today. And your space is much more livable. And you have these like multiple finish lines that feel really good and keep you motivated to keep going because you have that sense of accomplishment.

So, Annie, I hope that helps. I mean, whether you're living in a small New York apartment or just feeling overwhelmed by your own space, I do think this method can help. It helps you initiate. It helps you get organized in your mind first and then applying that organization to your space. I think it's all about simplifying and breaking the tasks down.

Finding a small win. Registering a win. Once you get something in the win column, I think a lot of things come more easily. Plus, with spring cleaning right around the corner, I did want to give you some quick takeaways that can help refresh your space, reduce anxiety, maybe even boost happiness. So think of it like this.

Organize based on habits. That means put things where you naturally leave them. Maybe a shoe basket goes by the door. Add a trash can or a laundry basket in every room. That can help reduce mess immediately without requiring much extra effort. Simplify your routines. If you hate folding laundry, use a basket for each different family member instead. That's what I do. We got three girls in the house, three teenage girls, my wife and I. We each have our own laundry basket.

And finally, work with your brain. Think about your own brain. Everyone's brain is different. Build habits that fit your lifestyle. Don't force yourself into a perfect system. Your space does impact your mental state. That is true. I think most research has sort of shown that. So find a way to bring calm to your surroundings. That can definitely boost your happiness, reduce your anxiety, make you feel more content. So thank you, Annie. Thanks for the question.

Okay, you've probably seen them, maybe even own a pair. But do blue light glasses really help with digital eye strain? Find out after the break. This podcast is supported by Sleep Number.

There's a reason the Sleep Number smart bed is the number one bed for couples. It's because you can each choose what's right for you whenever you like. Firmer or softer on either side, Sleep Number does that. One side cooler and the other side warmer, Sleep Number does that too. You have to feel it to believe it. Only Sleep Number smart beds let you choose your ideal comfort and support, your Sleep Number setting. Sleep Number smart beds learn how you sleep and provide personalized insights to help you sleep better.

The new Sleep Number Climate Cool Smart Bed lets you adjust up to 15 degrees cooler on either side. It's perfect for couples who struggle with sleeping too hot. Sleep better together. Why choose a Sleep Number Smart Bed? So you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. Sleep Number Smart Beds start at $999. Prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Exclusively at a Sleep Number store near you. See store or sleepnumber.com for details.

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And there goes the pager. Kira, who do we have next? Next up, we have Lainey, who is also calling from New York City. And she has a question I think a lot of us can relate to. So here she is. Hey.

Hey Sanjay, my name is Lainey. I'm calling from New York. Between home and work, I am not the best at taking a break from staring at my computer. Because of this, I noticed that I have like really bad eye strain from all the screen use, which sometimes causes eye irritation and headaches. Is it worth it to invest in blue light glasses? Does it even work? All right, Lainey, thank you for the question. Let me start this way.

a quick rundown of what blue light actually is. So there is a natural light spectrum. And when you think of blue light, it has a short wavelength. That means it appears brighter than other colors, like red or green. Okay?

So it's a short wavelength. That means it's going to appear brighter. Now screens, whether it's your phone or your computer or your TV, they all use blue light, as you might imagine, because that's going to enhance clarity and contrast. But here's a really important contextual point. They only emit about a thousandth of the blue light that we get from sunlight.

Okay, so yes, they do emit blue light, but in context it's only about a thousandth, one thousandth of the blue light we get from sunlight. And those blue light glasses, they only filter about 10 to 25 percent of the blue light from screens.

So most of the blue light that we get in our lives is not from the screens, and the blue light glasses maybe at best are going to filter about a quarter of that. Now, as you may have seen, the glasses do come with a range of marketing claims about their potential benefits. They say they're going to reduce eye strain, they're going to improve sleep, they're going to protect your eyes from light-induced damage. But, you know, when you look at the evidence of this,

I think the evidence is pretty lacking. There was a review of 17 studies which adds to this consensus now that these blue light glasses probably don't do that much to prevent or relieve eye strain. Sorry to say, I wish they did. So why do your eyes then feel dry or itchy or tired after hours in front of a screen?

The answer is that it's probably not the blue light itself. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the real culprit is likely something known as computer vision syndrome, sometimes called digital eye strain. And that's really largely caused by reduced blinking and prolonged focus. So here's some tips that might help ease your digital eye strain. Follow the 20-20-20 rule.

What does that mean? Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Let me repeat that. Every 20 minutes, just look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Second of all, blink more. I know that sounds silly, but people forget to blink. Consciously blinking will help keep your eyes from getting dry. Use lubricating eye drops if necessary.

Also, adjust your screen setup. Okay, so keep your monitor at arm's length away and consider a larger screen or larger text size to reduce strain. As a guy in his mid-50s, I've recently adjusted the text size on my screens. You know, just reduces that eye strain.

Finally, take real breaks. Real breaks. That means stand up, stretch, move around. Now, one thing to note, and I think this is important, blue light can affect your circadian rhythm by suppressing something known as melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone of darkness, right? That's the stuff that helps you go to sleep. If you're suppressing melatonin, that can make it harder to fall asleep. Best fix is to simply cut back on screen time before bed. So Lainey,

Back to your question. I just gave you a lot of information. Should you buy those blue light glasses? Well, they're not harmful. And if they make you feel better, go for it. But I wanted you to know the background, the science. And the science doesn't really necessarily show a lot of big benefits. Simple behavioral changes will probably go a long way for you.

That's all we have for today's episode. If you have other health questions on your mind, I want to hear them. Record a voice memo, email to asksanjay at cnn.com, or give us a call, 470-396-0832, and leave a message. Thanks for listening. I'll be back next Tuesday.

Chasing Life is a production of CNN Audio. Our podcast is produced by Aaron Mathewson, Jennifer Lai, Grace Walker, Lori Gallaretta, Jesse Remedios, Sophia Sanchez, and Kira Dering. Andrea Cain is our medical writer. Our senior producer is Dan Bloom. Amanda Seeley is our showrunner. Dan DeZula is our technical director. And the executive producer of CNN Audio is Steve Liktai.

With support from Jamis Andrest, John D'Onora, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Laini Steinhardt, Nicole Pesereau, and Lisa Namarau. Special thanks to Ben Tinker and Nadia Kanang of CNN Health and Katie Hinman.

There's a reason the Sleep Number Smart Bed is the number one best bed for couples. It's because you can each choose what's right for you whenever you like. Firmer or softer on either side, Sleep Number does that. One side cooler and the other side warmer, Sleep Number does that too. You have to feel it to believe it. Sleep better together. Why choose a Sleep Number Smart Bed? So you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. Sleep Number Smart Beds start at $999.

Prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Exclusively at a Sleep Number store near you. See store or sleepnumber.com for details.

This week on The Assignment with me, Adi Cornish. Is there a place in the U.S. that Democrats can point to and say, see, this is the way forward? Well, first of all, let me just say it is truly an honor to represent the working people of the greatest city in the entire country, right? And that's the city of Chicago. Mayor Brandon Johnson is the leader of a city seen by many as the very symbol of Democratic dysfunction. But he says we should give Chicago a second look.

And that despite the blowback from the Trump White House, we shouldn't underestimate Democratic city leaders at the forefront of navigating the new political landscape. Listen to The Assignment with me, Audie Cornish, streaming now on your favorite podcast app.