As the sun rises over Reno and sleepy Nevadans start to crawl out of bed, early morning Alice 96.5 Radio host Connie Wray has been up for hours getting ready to boost residents’ mornings with music, laughter and the latest celebrity gossip.
Listening to her high energy conversation makes it hard to believe this lively personality needs any sleep at all. Truth is though, she was in dire need of good sleep and it took a gentle nudge from the personal DNA results Wray received from the Healthy Nevada Project that finally helped her make one simple change that has now dramatically impacted her mornings.
“I’ve always known I’m not a deep sleeper,” explained Wray. Getting a good night’s sleep often eluded her and each morning she did her best to power through with caffeine and no real solutions in sight.
When the opportunity to support the Healthy Nevada Project as a community ambassador arose, she jumped at the chance. She knew it was a unique chance to support a groundbreaking community project and get a free DNA kit, but she also thought that just maybe she would be able to learn a little more about her own background and her health.
Although, beyond her ancestry, she admits she didn’t expect much on the health side. “I was doubtful you could find out that much information just from saliva, but when we got the data back, I was blown away,” she said.
Wray’s results indicated that deep sleep might be less likely. This news really got her thinking.
“I took that as I really need to shut off at bedtime,” which is challenging when your career is rooted in always being turned on and tuned in to the world around you. Before she got her results, Wray was already beginning to try a few things like reducing screen time before bed. “But, to see it in your DNA results and have those results scientifically say you have a hard time getting to sleep, and a good night’s sleep is a very important factor to your health,” Wray concluded, “I am absolutely taking it more seriously now.”
Motivated by her genetic report, she took her new health data to heart and began researching techniques to improve her sleep and overall health.
Focusing on sleeping better now brings Wray brighter mornings. Which has turned out not only to be better for her but better for all of her faithful morning listeners.
About Connie Wray
Connie Wray is a Healthy Nevada Project community ambassador. She was one of the first 23 people to participate in the first cohort of 10,000 Nevadans. Part of the market-leading Bill and Connie morning show on KLCA/Alice 96.5, Connie Wray moved to Reno from Seattle in 1998 to pursue a career in radio. Together with Bill Schulz, she co-hosts Reno’s longest-running morning program. In addition to her on-air work, Connie is also extraordinarily active in the community, where she emcees events (including Pops on the River), hosts on TV, volunteers for STEP2 and even gets into grape fights at the Eldorado’s Great Italian festival. She’s always ready to help a good cause and have fun!