UNITED STATES—Sleep, it is the one thing that is so important to everyone’s daily lives. Too many of us, we are running into situations where we are not achieving a specified amount of sleep each night as recommended by doctors. We’ve had this discussion in the past; we should be getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Unfortunately, that is not happening for most Americans, especially those who are adults and working full-time jobs.

I would make the argument that most Americans are probably getting somewhere between 4 and 6 hours of sleep a night. Yeah, that is not enough sleep, especially for anyone who might be working anywhere between 10-16 hour workdays (which is probably most of us). To make the situation worse, when we finally lay our head on that pillow, we find ourselves tossing and turning the entire night. So why is that the case? We worry TOO MUCH!

So what can be done to shift that minor hurdle in the sleep arena? For starters, you have to consider the notion that you can’t go to bed angry or frustrated with specific issues. Such problems tend be related to family and work. Try to acknowledge the problem and solve it before it creates more madness or bad dreams as I like to say. There is a belief that anything on our mind before we fall to sleep becomes a part of that dream. I HATE with a passion dreaming about work, but unfortunately it happens more often than I can count. Why?

I’m someone that hates things that are unfinished; so if it’s something that I know I can finish I will do everything in my power to get it finished so that I can rest and be at peace. Peace is important people, because if I know something is finished, it makes it harder for that ‘thing’ to invade my mind. Many of us have brains that are like the Energizer Bunny; we just keep going and going and going, we never stop until the body just crashes.

Is the body crashing a good thing? Not quite, but at the same time I don’t argue against it too much. Why? It’s the time that my body gets some of the best sleep ever. I recall when I was working 12-16 hour days. It was like when I got home my body would just go immediately into shut-down mode and I would find myself sleeping like a baby.

And I mean this was some of the best sleep I ever. I mean I would sleep like 10-12 hours; that is not normal for me. On average, I try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. I can manage with 6 hours of sleep, but if it falls below that number I become cranky, irritable and it takes me a bit of time to get into a rhythm for the day. I also believe technology is a big proponent of this issue as well. I used to sleep next to my cell phone in case of emergencies, I no longer do that. And I’m glad that I don’t. Why? I’ve discovered that that light from the phone and just the idea of having it right next to me would have me constantly, and I mean constantly checking my phone when I don’t have to.

That will easily disrupt your sleep. The same applies for those tablets, iPads and computers in the vicinity of the bedroom. Even the TV can be problematic. The bedroom is there for one reason sleep and sex. And unfortunately for most people, more sleep is happening than sex. Failure to attain adequate sleep can lead to a bevy of health problems that many of you are already well aware of.

In addition, failure to sleep impacts the workday, the school day and one’s overall energy level. When you are well rested you are happy, you’re vibrant and you’re ready to take on any challenge that may be thrown your way. However, when you’re sleepy all bets are OFF!