Transcripts

Dr. Paul Glovinsky, author of the book, The Insomnia Answer says the opposite is also true; if you think you'll have a good nights sleep it improves the chances of having one. Why are people not sleeping?

I'd say the main culprit is we don't prepare properly during the evening. Even if we are enjoying ourselves, when we are so engaged at say eleven o'clock at night and then we're thinking we got to be up in the morning- we better be to bed at eleven thirty. Our body doesn't work that way it really usually takes several hours to wind down. And wind down, well reading is good, quiet music, not being on the internet, not taking phone calls that might get you thinking during the night. Caffeine, alcohol, these are other things that can get in the way.

Dr. Glovinsky believes that it's not all that important that you go to sleep at the same time every night.

I would say it's much more important to get up at the same time in the morning. Because we can't force ourselves to go to sleep. If you say, "Ok, I've got to go to bed at eleven." But you're not sleepy at eleven, you're going to set yourself up for failure. So, we are much more adamant about holding the line on the morning because you can-more or less-force yourself awake.

Tomorrow, more ways to be a better sleeper. I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.