The Daily Valet. - 3/18/22, Friday

✔️ How'd You Sleep Last Night?

Friday, March 18th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

May you be showered with good health, peace, joy and prosperity on this Holi.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

World Sleep Day

How’d you sleep last night?

Today is World Sleep Day, an annual event first organized in 2008 by a group of dedicated healthcare providers and members of the medical community working and studying in the area of sleep medicine and research. The official slogan this year is “Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World.”

Sounds nice, right? After all, experts have long warned that insufficient sleep is a serious global public-health problem. The recent Phillips Global Sleep Survey, which tracked responses from 12 countries, showed that 62% of adults worldwide feel they don’t get enough sleep, averaging 6.8 hours on a weeknight compared to the recommended amount of eight hours.

And just this week, a survey by Gallup and Casper found that only a third of Americans report getting high-quality sleep. Another third said their sleep the previous night was poor or fair, at best. That means around 84 million people in this country are tossing, turning and waking up groggy and bleary-eyed. (Yup, sounds familiar.)

The survey of more than 3,000 adults highlighted that your emotional and mental state are major contributing factors, with stress increasing restlessness by 96%. “Stress and poor sleep are closely connected and can create a vicious cycle if not addressed,” one of Casper’s sleep doctors told NPR. “While we can’t eliminate stress from our lives entirely, we can implement healthier practices into our routines and control the environment we sleep in.”

Remember, it might easy to push through when you’re not getting proper rest ... at first. But it catches up with you one way or another. According to CDC, lack of sleep can lead to chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression. It's also often the cause of car crashes and serious mistakes at work.

So what can you do? Options abound, really. You could establish a new routine to fight your natural sleep procrastination. You can take a supplement to help you relax and quiet your mind before bed. Or you could upgrade your PJs to something engineered for better sleep.

↦ Gear Up: We sought the advice of two sleep experts for recommendations on outfitting your bedroom for ultimate sleep.

That March Madness Money

Schools are signing lucrative marketing agreements with betting apps

Television rights for the men's March Madness college basketball tournament earned the NCAA a whopping $850 million last year. The players who competed? They made nothing. This year, it's a new ballgame.

For the first time in the history of March Madness, players can sign endorsement deals that allow them to capitalize off their popularity. Brands are expected to spend close to $600 million on name, image and likeness deals in just the first year of the NCAA's policy change.

Meanwhile, sports betting has gotten bigger than ever and apps are making it even easier to put down money on a game. But combining gambling with our phones ... Recode asks, isn't anyone worried about the rise of gambling apps? Especially on campuses in the roughly 30 states across the country where online sports gambling is now legal.

According to Bloomberg, the International Center for Responsible Gaming is currently looking at whether the legalization of sports betting is creating more gambling addicts. Especially when it's targeted to students. One researcher said the group is particularly concerned about 18- to 25-year-olds who are “prone to getting involved in addictive activities.” Meanwhile, DraftKings alone spent $1 billion on sales and marketing last year and plans to spend even more in 2022.

↦ $13.8 Billion: Corporate losses due to unproductive workers during March Madness, according to WalletHub.

Partner

Kickstart your sex life. Here's how you can perform the way you used to in the bedroom.

NASA Rolls Out a New Mega-Rocket

The new moon vehicle heads to launch pad for a dress rehearsal

NASA's new Space Launch System moon rocket—the most powerful built to date—was rolled out of its processing building at the Kennedy Space Center for the first time Thursday evening. It was moved to the launch pad for a dress rehearsal countdown on April 3rd.

This is the rocket that will take the NASA astronauts back to the moon. But first the Artemis team will work toward the mission's “wet dress rehearsal.” This is a test that is performed after a vehicle is at the launch pad. During the event, team members will load up the SLS with fuel and conduct a practice launch countdown. Essentially, the team will rehearse what will happen in the time immediately leading up to launch.

The rocket's maiden flight “will pave the way for humanity's giant leap, future missions to Mars,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told CBS News. “There's no doubt that we are in a golden era of human space exploration, discovery and ingenuity in space.”

The unpiloted test flight, expected in late May or June, will carry three instrumented mannequins—and a space-suited Snoopy from Peanuts—beyond the moon and back to a Pacific Ocean splashdown to pave the way for the first piloted Artemis mission in 2024.

↦ FYI: NASA will send your name around the moon on the Orion spacecraft. Here’s how to sign up.

A Weekend Pairing

‘Deep Water’ + a Ranch Water Cocktail

Adapted from a novel written by famed mystery writer Patricia Highsmith (author of The Talented Mr. Ripley), Hulu's 'Deep Water' starts streaming today. The psychological thriller takes us inside the seemingly picture-perfect marriage of Vic (played by Ben Affleck) and Melinda (Ana de Armas), where—no surprise here—things aren't as perfect as they seem.

The couple has clearly fallen out of love with one another, but try to keep appearances up. Melinda isn't exactly subtle about parading a line of lovers in front her husband and their friends. But when they start going missing, Vic begins looking for answers (and maybe trouble). Set in steamy New Orleans, the film looks slick but reviews have been mixed. Collider calls it an “erotic thriller without any of the promised eroticism,” and the New York Times says “the ridiculous murder mystery that could have worked much better as a study of sexual masochism.” However, Polygon says there's “something pleasurably disreputable about the trashy scandalousness,” and Uproxx levels with us—saying that sometimes it just “feels good to watch a shamelessly sleazy that's low on plot and high on style.”

↦ Your Pairing:I’ll use any excuse to whip up a Ranch Water, so this aqua-titled thriller is good enough for me. All you need is just tequila, lime juice and mineral water (Topo Chico is preferred). And like the recipe here says, feel free to throw in some jalapeño slices for an added kick.

In Other News

↦ Scant Progress in Peace Talks As Ukrainian Cities Pounded in More Russian Attacks

↦ Ancient Tomb With Sarcophagus Found Under Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

↦ Man Credits Affair With AI Girlfriend for Saving His Marriage

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Cartoon beers

Jonah Hill’s New York loft

Roasting the Metaverse

Partner

A Smart Solution to a Common Problem

Here’s how you can perform in the bedroom like you used to

You shouldn't be stressed in the bedroom. This is a place for rest, relaxation and plenty of good sex. But that's not to say anxiety doesn't show up now and then to cause problems. And the issue is often the same for a lot of guys.

Convenient single-servingpacks for a boost before sex.From $4 per use, at hims

The good news is that the solution is usually quite simple. Several prescription medications have been clinically proven to be effective treatments—but traditional doctor visits tend to bring more anxiety. After all, it's not easy opening up about concerns when it comes to our sex life.

But hims, the popular online wellness brand, makes it easy. They connect you with medical professionals virtually from the comfort and privacy of your home—providing access to FDA-approved prescription solutions—all with a savings of 50-80% compared to traditional retail prices. And it's guaranteed. The brand is so sure it'll work for you that they'll refund your money if you (and your partner) aren't satisfied.

If you're more spontaneous and want to be ready whenever, these medications are taken daily. From $99 a month, at hims

Help keep the lovemaking going longer and stronger with this non-prescription spray. From $29, at hims

↦ Explore: hims sexual wellness options

New Shoes on Our Radar

These slip-ons ($228) are constructed in the finest suede from C.F. Stead, a prominent British tannery that has over a century of expertise. Taking cues from classic styles, this pair can be both rugged and laid-back—and thanks to the soft crepe soles, they're extremely comfortable as well. Style these with some dark denim or blue chinos for an elevated spring look.

↦ Want more? 5 new shoes our team can't stop talking about