Want to Know How to Get More Sleep?

"Go to bed earlier!"

It's a plain and simple fact.

But I know better than anyone that trying to talk a multi-tasking parent, a success-focused corporate warrior, or a hard-partying college student to get more sleep, even a mere hour more, can be like pulling teeth!

A big reason for this difficulty is that we live in a culture which does not support or acknowledge the true value of a good night’s sleep.

How many times have you heard the expression, “you can sleep when you’re dead!”

Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “I wish I didn’t have to sleep at all, I’d get so much more accomplished ...”

Or perhaps you have overheard someone bragging with pride about how they only “need” 6 or maybe even 4 hours of sleep a night.

The simple fact of the matter is that insufficient sleep predisposes you to be much more sensitive to stress, whether you think you “need” it or not.

When you don’t get enough rest, things that normally would not stress you out are magnified in direct proportion to how sleep-deprived you happen to be.

Going to bed earlier to get more sleep is one of the simplest HARDCORE Stress Management™ techniques, and it’s also one of the most effective – but it is very hard to convince you of its value.

What it really boils down to is to get more sleep, you just have to cut off the television and go to bed.

Going to bed earlier is not the same as sleeping in later.

The old adage that the “the hours of sleep you get before midnight count double” is more than an old wive’s tale!

But I know as well as anyone that you are simply not going to make that sacrifice and change your habits to get more sleep until you recognize the true value of what an extra hour in bed can mean for your health.

If you want to experience the stress management™ benefits of more sleep, and you’re simply not willing to try to get more sleep, then maybe you will try to get better sleep.

How do you improve the quality of your sleep? There are a number of simple things to can do.

The most important technique is to make sure that you sleep in the darkest possible place available.

A multitude of studies have shown that your quality of sleep is directly affected by even a tiny amount of light present in your sleeping space.

Sleep is a time when your brain shuts down certain bodily functions, so that it can direct its energy to rejuvenating and repairing your body.

An important part of that process of repair and rejuvenation involves the secretion of various important chemicals by your glands – chemicals which are only secreted when your body is in a state of deep sleep.

Studies have shown that even small amounts of light negatively impact the production of these important chemicals, even stopping them altogether, no matter how much sleep you might otherwise get.

So what can you do?

One of the cheapest and most effective solutions to the light problem is to wear a sleep mask - a simple mask that covers your eyes when you’re in bed.

It typically only takes you a night or two to get used to the mask, and you can be sure to enjoy complete darkness throughout the night. Sleep masks are sold at practically any large retail store, and they’re cheap and easy to find.

Another key issue in regards to getting a higher quality of sleep is the issue of noise pollution in your sleep space.

The noise problem is very different that the light problem – it’s not that you need a completely quiet room, but you need a room free of irregular noise.

Irregular noises, even if they don’t wake you fully, do prevent you from staying in the deeper states of sleep long enough to get the full benefit of the rejuvenation and repair that takes place there.

Trying to reduce the noise in your space can be a very time-consuming and low-return proposition. Some people even make a practice of sleeping with earplugs every night for just this reason.

A better solution for most is to make use of one of the many ambient noise machines on the market.

These machines create a low volume, regular sound (typically white or pink noise, but sometimes the sound of ocean waves, etc.) which drowns out the irregular noises and improves the quality of sleep for everyone in the room.

I live in a relatively high-traffic area in Hollywood, CA - my apartment overlooks the infamous Sunset Boulevard - so there can be quite a bit of noise at night.

Once I got my ambient noise machine up and running, I felt like I could sleep through an earthquake (knock on wood!)

I dare you to make use of these techniques for improving your quality of sleep for a week, and then tell me they don’t make a big difference in how you feel in the morning.

It’s my hope that you will realize how profound an effect sleep has on stress management, and that it will convince you to turn off the TV and get that extra hour of sack time.

I promise you it will make a difference.

Before you tuck in early to get more sleep tonight, check out my HARDCORE Stress Management™ program.