Are You Suffering from HDTV?


This is a new health ailment that just touched my life recently. A little too close to home if you ask me! Both of my brothers had a big, flat-screen, high-definition TV, as well as my parents, my neighbors, and about everyone else I knew. After seeing the beautiful picture, especially on the National Geographic channel, we had to have one. For years we had no TV so our children grew up without it for most of their young lives. (Fortunately they are not suffering from HDTV.) So, as you can imagine, I am hooked!

Many of my clients’ sleep issues have returned, they confess, due to this condition. It began with the Olympics this summer. Who could turn off the TV at 10 pm when Michael Phelps hadn’t raced yet? Then it was the election coverage with the numerous debates, Tina Fey skits and never ending analysis. Finally the financial crisis reared its ugly head and we couldn’t bear not to hear the very latest updates on CNN. The onset of the symptoms doesn’t stop here! Of course if you’re a tennis player who could go to bed when Raffa was playing in the US Open and the match was only midway at 10 pm? Yea, yea, I could record it, but it’s just not the same. Then there was the playoffs for baseball, now football, and the “must see” Sports Center to catch up on all the latest. Can you say stimulating? Wow, I can sing, or better yet, yell, the theme song.  So much for winding down at night to prepare for restful sleep.

Here is is a quick questionnaire to see if you too are suffering from HDTV:

1. You can’t wait to get home from work to turn on the TV.

2.You eat dinner in front of the TV.

3. Your spouse or partner asks you a question and you ask him/her to repeat it.

4. You record other shows because there are too many to watch at one time.

5. You too can sing the Sports Center Theme song.

If you want to have a restful night’s sleep, turn off the TV at least an hour before bedtime. Remember to dim the lights and begin to wind down. Wishing you sweet dreams all snug in your bed....
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Tidbits Fun "green" gifts for Holiday gift giving
	Stainless steel water bottle (get rid of plastic!!)
	Organic or recycled clothing/gifts, i.e. Patagonia, Clary Sage (SF)
	Subscription to a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group — find one at Local Harvest
	Organic foods and products: http://www.localharvest.org/store/
	Fun, healthy cosmetics and lotions at Berriez Body Parlor
	An organic, wheat-free delicious homemade English Fruitcake (see recipe below)
What’s in season?
	Focus on consuming these local, in-season foods:
	Artichokes Basil Beans (green) Beets Brussel sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chard Chili pepper	Lemon Valencia oranges Collards Corn Cucumber Eggplant Kale Kiwi Kohlrabi Lettuce Mushroom	Mustard Okra Onion Green peppers Pomegranates Potatoes Spinach Squash Winter tomatillos Turnips Yams