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Nice News Today
An explanation for morning grogginess, top cities for job-seeking grads, and lawnmower kindness
00:08:49
Today’s episode dives into a science-backed explanation for why it’s easier to wake up some mornings than others. Plus, the scoop on the most promising cities for job-seeking college grads, a Detroit crew helping maintain neglected parks, and new research on how dogs benefit our mental health. This episode was hosted and produced by Case Kenny. Research and writing by Natalie Stone, Ally Mauch, Rebekah Brandes, and Stephanie Friedman. Music by Ryan Peitzke. For more good news, tune in to Nice News Today on Mondays and Fridays and subscribe to the daily Nice News newsletter at NiceNews.com.
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Case Kenney
Good morning. Welcome to Nice news today, your 10 minute roundup of the week's most positive News. It is July 25th and today I'm diving into a science backed explanation for why it's easier to wake up some mornings than others. I've also got the scoop on the most promising cities for job seeking college grads, a Detroit crew helping to maintain neglected parks, and new research on how dogs benefit are mental health. I'm your host, Case Kenney. Let's uncover some good together Are you in a constant battle with the snooze button? While lifestyle choices like shutting down the screens before bed can help you feel more refreshed in the morning, there's another factor that may be a little more out of your control. In a new study, people who woke up out of REM sleep reflect reported feeling more tired than those who had woken up during non REM sleep. First, a definition of REM sleep. The acronym stands for rapid eye movement and refers to the stage of sleep where brain activity is high. It's also the stage in which most dreams happen. For the study, neuroscientists recorded the brain activity of more than 1,000 awakenings in 20 people. They found that when the test subjects woke up from REM sleep, a wave of brain activity moved from the prefrontal cortex to the area that controls our vision. But when they emerged from non REM sleep, that wave began from a central hotspot before following the same pattern. The pattern was consistent across all awakenings, and those who arose from REM sleep notably felt less rested moving forward. Co author Francesca Siclari said the findings could be used to help scientists address insomnia and other sleep disorders. It also paves the way for further studies that focus on the way people wake up and how that impacts feelings of restfulness in the morning. Siclari told Nature magazine that this type of research could offer, quote, a whole new avenue of looking at ways to treat people. And that's definitely something worth waking up for. If you know a college grad who's having a hard time landing a job, a new survey may help point them in the right direction. A payroll services provider called ADP just released a ranking of the top cities for job seeking graduates, and you may be surprised to learn that the country's biggest metro areas didn't make the top four. ADP analyzed over five years worth of data from 55 US metro areas with at least 1 million residents, looking at factors like hiring rates, affordability and wages. For the second year in a row, Raleigh, North Carolina nabbed the top spot thanks to its high wages and hiring rate, as well as its large, low cost of living. According to adp, Raleigh is home to many finance and tech companies, as well as a large number of healthcare and research institutions. Next on the list are Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which houses a growing number of startups Baltimore, Maryland, which is increasing its effort to attract young professionals and Austin, Texas, which has a thriving tech industry. Next up, a conservation effort that's as adorable as it is effective. I'm talking about the beavers in eastern Utah who are helping to conserve water and create wetlands that serve as a habitat for marine wildlife. So how are the mighty animals accomplishing this? In 2019, researchers began moving beavers to the San Rafael and Price rivers in Utah. Two years later, they discovered that they had cut trees and built dams in areas where the structures had never been seen before. And in 2023, they found that some beavers had even made improvements to existing human human made dams. The U.S. fish and Wildlife Service called beavers, quote, one of the most cost effective and sustainable solutions for ecological restoration and climate change resilience. That's incredible. And now we all know why beavers are often called nature's engineers. And now a quick break to let you know about an exciting event coming up next month. On August 21, Nice News is hosting its next installment of the Nice Book Club and I am going to be the featured author. I'll be chatting about my book the Opposite of Settling, which is a guide to raising your standards, trusting your intuition and creating the life you truly want. If you've ever felt stuck in relationships, routines or self doubt and you're ready to rewrite the script, this conversation is for you. The book club meeting is free, virtual and you won't want to miss it. To buy a copy of the book and register for the event, head to nicebook club.squarespace.com A gang in Detroit is still thriving after 15 years. But don't worry, this is good news because I'm talking about a Lawnmower gang. In 2010, when the city's financial crisis threatened the closure of many local parks, Detroit resident Tom Nardone sprang into action and fired up his lawnmower. At the time, the city lacked the funds to properly care for its parks. Using a lawn tractor he bought off Craigslist, Nardone began mowing the grass in one of these overgrown park and received positive feedback. When he wanted to take on a project that was too big for him to complete alone, he reached out to mountain bike groups, scooter gangs and other community members and a whole crew showed up to help, lawn mowers in tow. Now the Detroit Mower Gang meets every other Wednesday, rain or shine, to tackle neglected green spaces in the region. In an interview with CBS News, they called themselves a group of renegade landscapers. The Nardone added in a TikTok video quote, come join us. We're having a good time out here. It's well known that dogs can help us de stress, but our pups may help us chill out even more than scientists previously knew. In a recent study, a team out of the University of Denver found that participants who brought their dogs with them to a stress test landed in a sweet spot for handling stress effectively. The Researchers asked around 40 dog owners to undergo a 15 minute tier social stress test, which is often used in neuroscience research to evaluate stress in humans. Participants who brought their dogs with them to the lab experienced lower spikes of the stress hormone cortisol and healthy spikes of an enzyme associated with the flight or fight response. Overall, this group showed a balanced response to stress. They were alert while taking the test, but their stress levels went back to normal within 45 minutes. On the flip side, people who didn't have their dog with them showed almost no response, which the scientists said can be a sign of chronic stress or ptsd. The research team has already begun a new study to dive into how dogs could be used to effectively treat PTSD in vets. But for now, you may want to just spend a few more minutes cuddling with your pup to stay Zen. If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money? Recent lottery winner and today's inspiring human, Armando Vidal is using a portion of his winnings to buy a home, something he didn't have when he won the California Lottery's Triple Red 777 Scratchers game. Vidal had been homeless since 2008 when an injury left him unemployed. He moved from the Bay Area to San Luis Obispo, where he often frequents a corner store. This past April, he bought two five dollar scratch off tickets from the shop and and initially thought he'd won $200. That was until the store manager, Wilson Saman, asked him, what are you going to do with a million dollars? It was Saman who then drove Vidal to collect his winnings along with a home for him and his wife. Vidal plans to use the money to adopt a couple of dogs and otherwise wants to invest in it to maintain a continuous cash flow. And in the end he said, quote, I just can't wait to get off the streets Congrats to Vidal on his life changing win. And that's it for today's episode. If you loved these stories, please consider giving us a follow on Apple, Spotify and YouTube Music and sharing this episode with a friend. If you want more good news, visit nicenews.com to sign up for our free daily newsletter. Until next time, keep spreading your light and remember, there's more than enough good out there to go around. Have a great day. Sam.