Do Less, Sleep More
When it comes to improving your sleep, less is definitely more—less doing, that is. According to Tracy Kuo, Ph.D., staff psychologist and clinical researcher at Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic, one of the biggest hindrances to sleep is the number of things people try to cram into their lives. "Americans place a lot of emphasis on activity, but the body is not made to be on that level of intense activity all the time," suggests Kuo. As a result, people find it difficult to reach the state of relaxation necessary for slumber.
If you aren't sleeping well, Kuo recommends examining your life to see if you're taking on more than you can handle. Are there things that you could give up? Also, be sure to bring a sense of closure to each day, so you can go to bed feeling calm and tranquil. "Write down any unfinished business," she advises, "with some notes about how you plan to finish the tasks." Or simply acknowledge that what wasn't done today can be done tomorrow.
Read more advice on improving your sleep from Dr. Tracy Kuo.
While this may be true for a very select few people who live life to the fullest, I don't think it's so relevant for the vast majority of Americans. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube. If people stopped watching TV so much and spent that time on more meaningful activities (including relaxation!) they wouldn't have this problem with sleep. Personally, I watch approximately one hour of TV per MONTH, if that much. I fill my life with a huge amount of activities, but I always sleep really well because I live my life with joy (partly, I'll give credit, to the advice given in this blog). However, I just think this particular piece of advice is a little off the mark. Instead of saying to do less activities, the advice should be to watch less TV!!