“My body's paralysed, but my mind still works. I can still hear everything being said”
Living with narcolepsy - a rare condition that can cause you to fall asleep wherever you are, or whatever you’re doing - required Antonia Gentile to surrender her driving license, and step back from performing, cooking and even reading.
As she explains to Olly, narcolepsy and cataplexy are isolating and debilitating ‘hidden disabilities’. But they can be somewhat treated through awareness and good ‘sleep hygiene’.
If you’re struggling with sleep issues, Antonia recommends sleep improvement app Sleepio, and the charity Narcolepsy UK.
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Ollie modelling his home-dyed T-shirt.
Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart, fresh from uncovering rude place names in his new podcast for the BBC, gets down and dirty in his recycling bin.
Can he rise to the challenge of living a waste-free life?
After experimenting with the advice on Trash is for Tossers, and registering for the Too Good To Go app, the culmination of his efforts is… steaming an old T-shirt in banana skins, broadbeans, and sweet potato scraps.
Greta Thunberg will be DEAD impressed…
If YOU would like to challenge Ollie to test out a trend on a future edition of the show, submit it via our feedback form.
The Zeitgeist is sponsored by Manscaped, the only men’s brand dedicated to below the waist grooming. Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code ‘Mann’ at Manscaped.com
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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox helps out an anonymous listener who enjoys occasional anal sex with his wife - but is now worried he’s pressured her into it.
Is it fair to ask for anal sex when your partner isn’t finding it satisfying? If it’s not traumatising or upsetting her, and she’s consenting to it, should it be abandoned because it doesn’t give her physical pleasure?
It’s all about being ‘GGG’ (Dan Savage’s mantra: ‘good, giving, and game’), advises Alix, in this fascinating conversation.
The Foxhole is sponsored by Handy - a WiFi-enabled sex toy for men, designed and developed in Norway. For free express shipping, use our code ‘Foxhole' at TheHandy.com.
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Finally, our record of the month is the new one from Hampshire trio Drug Store Romeos - it’s called Secret Plan, and it’s from their forthcoming debut album, ‘The world within our bedrooms’":
This episode of The Modern Mann is only possible thanks to the generosity of listeners LIKE YOU.
If you can afford to, please buy us a beer once per month - or as often as you like - using our secure, customisable form here. Thanks!
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We’ll see you again on August 10 - in the meantime, do check out Olly and Producer Matt’s BRAND NEW, DAILY PODCAST The Retrospectors!
