Sleeping-- it should be the easiest part of your day.

It requires the least of you.

Just lay there and let it happen.

Like most people's wedding nights.

So there's no way in the world we could be doing it wrong, right?

Wrong.

Sleeping is a lot like sex or barbecuing.

We all think we're great at it until someone decides to tell you the truth.

Well, we are that someone, and you could be better.

Now, ever since humans had to get up for work, we've been obsessed with sleep.

No one's bringing down a woolly mammoth on only four hours.

Greeks and Romans built temples to gods associated with sleep.

Makes sense.

I love sleeping in temples.

Since the beginning of time, people have been trying to figure out a way to get a better night's sleep.

The proper sleep cave has always been about the bed, and technology is constantly changing.

Discovery News reports that archaeologists have found remains of Neanderthal sleeping quarters in Spain some 50,000 years ago.

Beds have changed.

They've gone from the grass-covered animal skins on the floor, according to Discovery News, to simple wooden frame beds, to hand-carved four poster beds in the past few centuries, to the circular waterbed in the back of the van driven by your step dad, Gary.

But even though the beds have gotten more comfortable, according to npr.org, insomnia now affects 60 million Americans nightly.

So what are we doing wrong?

One of the biggest problems we have is not getting enough sleep each night.

That's right, Rand.

Recent history shows that a lack of sleep can be extremely dangerous and has led to some of our greatest disasters-- the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill.

That time your cousin Jeff peed in the closet because he thought it was a bathroom.

Big, big, big, big, big spills.

Yep, terrible spills.

According to Sleepfoundation.org-- And you know because they're a dot org that they're legit.

Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night in order to function properly the next day.

If you're getting less than that, you could be putting yourself at serious risk the next day when you get behind the wheel of a car.

That's right, Jay.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that fatigue is the cause in 100,000 auto crashes and 1,550 crash-related deaths a year in the US.

Do you know how hard it is to text and drive when you're tired?

It's nearly impossible.

Web M.D.

tells us that in a 2004 study, it was found that people who get less than six hours of sleep a night are 30% more likely to become obese.

It's like closing your eyes and eating a bacon-wrapped meatloaf.

Is there any other way to eat that?

No.

What about the clothes we wear to bed each night?

I never understood the nightcap, because the only thing worse than bed head is hat head, and this combines the two.

A 2008 study published in the journal Brain claims that actually sleeping naked helps the body's core temperature drop and prepare for sleep.

If you're too hot, it can lead to restlessness and insomnia.

Sleeping position also plays a big role in a good night's.

sleep.

According to CNN, sleeping on your stomach is terrible for your spine.

Number 1 sleep position is on your back.

Number 2, on your side.

Number 3, right next to Wolf Blitzer.

[ROMANTIC MUSIC PLAYING] That was actually also according to CNN.

You know what Wolf Blitzer calls his bedroom?

What's that?

The Situation Room.

[ROMANTIC MUSIC PLAYING] One of the biggest keys to us sleeping wrong, though, is occurring right before we go to bed, and it's a more recent phenomenon.

We're talk about screen reading-- computers, iPads, smartphones in bed before you go to sleep.

Wire.UK tells us that light from your screens will increase alertness pre-sleep.

That's the time when you need to be winding down.

You hear me, kids?

Sorry.

I say that to my daughters every night to no effect.

You need to be winding it down up there!

OK, Rand.

A recent PNAS study found that people's melatonin levels stay normal when they read books before bed, but dropped significantly when reading electronic devices.

And the next day, the onset of higher melatonin levels was 1.5 hours delayed.

So late night, pre-sleep screen time can hurt you after you've had a bad night's sleep the next day as well.

Finally, we all know not to drink coffee in the afternoon or at night.

The caffeine will keep you up-- and regular-- but mostly up.

But what about having a drink before bed to wind down?

You know, the other kind of night cap?

The good people at Sleepfoundation.org tell us that alcohol may help you fall asleep quicker, but it will wake you up in the middle of the night and interrupt your sleep cycle.

OK, so it's clear to us-- take off your clothes, roll over on your back, say no to that late night tequila shot, read a book instead of a tablet, and sleep for at least seven hours a night.

And watch your waking life get better as you sleep longer and deeper.

I sincerely hope all of you are not watching this episode right before you go to bed, right?

Jay?

Jay?

Jay?

Sorry.

I was up late doing research for this episode.

On your phone?

No, I'm not an idiot.

On my tablet.

OK. Well, that's our show.

For Jason, I'm Randy.

Get up.

I'm tired.

You need more sleep.

I know.

You're doing it wrong.

I'm tired.

Just give me five more minutes.

Jay!

I'm sorry.

I imagine Wolf Blitzer has like 27 flat screens on his wall.

So while he's sleeping, there's still footage from-- No.

He has a crawl under his bed that just gives news and information.

No.

It's just a person crawling around under his bed, giving updates of what's happening in the Middle East.

No.

He could crush it with the ladies, though, when he was younger.

That's right.

You know Wolf Blitzer was like-- He could Amanpour it on.

Oh.

Oh, Wolfie.