Imsomnia? Don’t watch an Adam Sandler movie at night and 6 other things not to do!

Ever since I moved back out to California, I have been having a hard time falling asleep. I don’t even think about falling asleep early. And it is not like I am up all night working or stressing about things. California just has reset my biological rhythms. Whether that is a good thing, time will tell.

Here are some quick tidbits I have learned the last few months as to what not to do when having a hard time falling asleep:

1. Do not, under any circumstance, watch an Adam Sandler movie if you want to eventually sleep. His movies tend to be so bad that you cant help but stay up and watch the whole movie. It is perverse, I know, but true.  The last few weeks I have caught Blended and Just Go With It and probably a few others that I cannot even remember. They are addictive in how bad they are and how you just stare at the screen in deep awe. You just sit there and think “a producer gave this the go ahead?”  I will share a secret with you. I do like Happy Gilmore. Watching the Bob Barker and Adam Sandler fight scene is hilarious. Just hands-down hilarious!

2. Don’t watch Tom Cruise movies. Not because they are bad but because they are decent enough to keep you up and entertained. One night I watched all three Mission Impossible movies back to back.

3. Don’t drink coke, diet coke or coke zero.  Period.  It is not the caffeine that bothers me. I drink so much caffeine on a daily basis that it really has no impact on me. I can get a double-shot espresso at midnight and go to sleep.  My problem is that it makes me hungry and then I feel like I am starving and then my stomach goes crazy with the noise.

4. Don’t get up to write a blog idea down.  Seriously. You will keep writing and writing. Although, maybe that is a good thing. Depends on your priorities: sleep or getting your ideas out there.

5. Don’t go and check in on your sleeping child. You will stand there and marvel at them. You will start reminiscing of when they were a baby. Then you will go get the baby pictures to look at and then you will wonder how time went by so quickly. Then you will get depressed as you realize it all goes by in a flash and you have yet to accomplish everything you wanted to do in life.

6. Don’t look at your Ipad or phone in the dark. You will come to find your vision becomes impaired in one eye and you get freaked out and then you will obsess with whether you are going blind.  You know what? Actually go ahead and try this and tell me what happens with your right eye.

7. Don’t read work emails. This is a total given. Yet, many of us fools still go ahead and do it. Inevitably, there will be an email message that will anger you and who needs anger late at night.  You must resist this impulse. If need be, it is better to watch an Adam Sandler movie than read your work emails late at night.

May you get some sleep tonight and experience sweet dreams