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Everything You Think You Know About Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Is Wrong

Of the more than 200 columns I write for Inc.com each year, among the most popular are consistently about how to get better sleep.

I’m not too surprised by this. Research reveals Americans in general have been struggling with sleep since the pandemic disrupted our lives, and entrepreneurs are clearly among those desperate to feel more rested. I have historically taken the success of those articles as a sign that a lot of you need more sleep advice.

But according to a fascinating article in the UK Guardian by sleep coach Camilla Stoddart, maybe I shouldn’t pat myself on the back for spreading the word about tricks and techniques to beat your insomnia. Stoddart inists that pretty much all the advice out there suggesting things like avoiding screens and taking warm baths before bed isn’t just useless. It’s actually harmful to getting a good night’s sleep.

Nearly everything you’ve heard about how to sleep better is wrong.

Stoddart’s advice rests on a basic but counterintuitive truth about sleep. “Unlike almost every other area of life, effort is not rewarded,” she writes. “The more you try, the less you are likely to succeed.”