A restful night of sleep might be on the short list of priorities for a central banker - or at least one would hope so.
That might especially be the case if your recurring economic nightmares are your reality. The unemployment rate remains high at 8.1%, Europe is teetering on the cusp of a financial crisis, and fears of a so-called fiscal cliff in 2013 just might come true with a reluctant Congress.
But Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke assured lawmakers he sleeps just fine.
It was a topic of conversation, albeit a brief one, at this week's Joint Economic Committee hearing when Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind. asked Bernanke candidly, "Do you sleep well at night?"
The question, which incited a few chuckles in the room and a grin from the chairman, offered a comical moment at the hearing where Bernanke attempted several times to urge lawmakers to get the U.S.' fiscal house in order to avoid a problem in 2013.
"I generally sleep pretty well, yes," said Bernanke, "But I have a lot to do during the day and I need to be well-rested."
