Dr Frederik G. PferdtFrom Stanford & Google — To You

When mornings feel loud before we even / NEXTletter

17 Feb 2026 · 1 min

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Dr. Frederik G. Pferdt describes waking to an overwhelming flood of news and notifications that create physical anxiety before you've had coffee. He talks to a woman who sleeps with the news on because she feels obligated to stay informed for work, showing how constant updates become a source of stress and identity.

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Have you noticed how some mornings the world already feels loud before we even had coffee? You open your phone and it's all there. War, climate, politics, markets, your notifications, everything. And sometimes you don't even remember what you read. You just feel it. That little tightening that's happening. Like your body is getting ready for something. She told me she falls asleep with the news playing in the background. And I asked her why, and she said something interesting: "If I don't stay informed, I'm not doing my job." And that really stayed with me.