What do you do just before bed? I usually fall asleep reading…on my phone…OK fine I’m checking emails…and by “emails” I mean I’m scrolling through Facebook and writing comments in my head to the ridiculous things I’m reading that I would never actually post. This week I read an article that made me want to change my behavior.

Never Enough Time To Sleep

This month’s USC Trojan Family Magazine had a fascinating cover story about sleep. The researchers pointed out that very few of us get the 7-9 hours of recommended sleep. I’m guilty of that too. I tell myself there is just “too much to do” but that’s an excuse I make for myself.

I spent 40 minutes browsing around on my phone last night before I decided to go to sleep. That’s more than 4 hours of missed sleep over the course of a week.

How it Affects Us

The article goes on to point out how our diminished hours of sleep affect us, including depression, health problems, and the fact that a staggering 1 in 5 serious car crashes are related to inadequate sleep.

In addition, the article cites another study which found teens who read a printed book before bed slept better and awoke more rested than those who read on a tablet before bed. Interesting. So here it what I take from all of this.

My New Sleep Plan

I complain about two things: I don’t have enough time to sleep and I don’t have enough time to read. This week, I’m going to solve both of those problems by making my bed a digital-free-zone. I’m going to sleep earlier and if I can’t fall asleep I’m going to pull out a book…like…one with pages…and read. Wish me luck!

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