Magic Of Good Sleep - Part 2

 December 14, 2010

Interview with Dr. James Maas, author of the book Sleep for Success: Everything You Must Know About Sleep but Are too Tired to Ask

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Mike Carruthers:
We have got to start taking our sleep more seriously.

Dr. James Maas:
It is sleep that determines your longevity and your ability to perform and your mood. 
 

Dr. James Maas, author of the book Sleep for Success, says what you do during the day has an impact on how well you sleep at night.

Any caffeine after 2 in the afternoon and that means, colas, that means chocolate will tend to disrupt if not destroy REM sleep at night – the period in which most of 85% of our dreams take place. But so much more happens to our memory when we lose REM sleep.

Drinking alcohol less than 3 hours before bedtime can be a problem. And if you have trouble falling asleep…

The best thing you can do is remember specific things during the day that you want to express gratitude for, your friends, what somebody did for you at the office, what your child said to you when you kissed her or kissed him goodnight. These are the things that relax you, reduce stress, these blessings when you count and specifically name those blessings have been shown to make you more amenable to sleep onset.

And if you’re traveling this holiday season, Dr. Maas says take your own pillow.

Because it’s something you’re used to. Hopefully it’s high quality, high fill power, down or down alternative and you’ll sleep better.

To hear the complete unedited interview, click here