What Keeps You Up at Night?

We could all learn from Homer's Odyssey.

Approximately 75% people don't get enough sleep (source: The Promo Code).  Either they can't fall asleep, can't stay asleep, or don't want to sleep.  For people in our industry, I think the figure approaches 99%.

Which gets me to thinking (at 4am, of course): Why are we awake in the middle of the night, when sensible people are recharging their bodies?

It's not logical.  We know that we need the golden slumber:  7-8 hours would be great, but we make a deal for 5 or 6.  We're more responsive, alert, think clearer.  It's a no-brainer, from a left-brain perspective.

It's not desirable.  Who wants to be up watching infomercials and writing blogs in the middle of the night, while all those individual padded coils (or whatever they are) await?

It's not healthy.  With less sleep, we're more susceptible to sickness and crankiness, which is definitely not good for the health of your relationships.

This is a time you don't want to see.

So, why don't we sleep at night?

Since I work for a TV show called "The List," I've decided to answer the question... in the form of a list.  (And yes, that was a shameless plug for the Scripps-owned access program.)
 
Top Three Things That Keep Us Up at Night 

1.  Free-Floating Stuff.  Could be anything and usually is.  Syria.  Money.  The mortgage.  Football.  How much braces cost.  Gas mileage.  That pain on your right side.  Money (again).  And, oh yeah, work. Which leads to...

2.  Stuff You Did.  Did I edit that spot the right way today?  Did I respond with "Reply All?"  Was that report due yesterday?  Should I have eaten that burrito?  It's not about regrets; it's more about reviewing your day as you prepare for a new one.

3.  Stuff You Didn't Do.  I didn't get around to writing that blog, call for new insurance, set that doctor's appointment, start my diet, follow up with Bill in Accounting.  Here's a better copy run. Doesn't matter how minor, it's still floating around in your brain.  And what better time to review than 3am?  As my friend, Al, likes to say, "Purrrr-fect, Batman!"

To date, my best solution to stay in Dreamland... is to make lists.  (Shameless plug, part deux.)

If I'm up in the night, I write down what I want to accomplish during the day, no matter how trivial.  This way, I know I won't forget in the morning (another cause of staying awake), and I'll get everything done.  If not, I know I'll face an entry that hasn't been crossed off the list.

Quick aside: David Brenner used to tell a joke about how he would think of the funniest things in the middle of the night, but by morning, he'd forget what it is.  So he decided to put a pad of paper and pen next to his bed.  This way, he could write it down.

Next night, he wakes up laughing, and remembers to commit the hilarity to paper.  He falls back asleep, content that he's got the best joke ever.

In the morning, he excitedly leaps out of bed and looks at the paper.  It says,  "Uncle John is chasing me."
 
Moral of the story?  You don't think that well in the night, but if you write stuff down, at least you can get back to sleep.

This actually works and the funny part is, If you don't remember to do it during the day, your brain will remind you... just in time to watch a new way to separate eggs.

Sleep well...
Ed Roth
edrothshow@gmail.com
  

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