Ungodly hour. Recommended: Nighty Night tea

This week I've had a cold. I think I've whupped the worst of it, but the cough is putting up a good fight, especially at night.

Takes me back my days as a semi-professional insomniac.

For all you insomniacs out there, let me recommend Nighty Night tea by Traditional Medicinals. You'll find it some grocery stores and most health food stores; if that fails, try GNC. It's got passion flower, chamomile, hops and a bunch of other calming herbs.

I'm drinking some right now, and I only plan on blogging until my cup is empty.

Insomnia, the popularity of sleeping aids and our collective sleep debt have been in the news alot lately. [Find your own links. It's 4:47 and I'm too lazy to do it for you.] I've always avoided sleeping pills. Having done so, I can tell you that sometimes, sleep just takes work.

And its work worth doing. Studys may only now be documenting the ways in which lack of sleep is bad for us, but I've always known that. For various reasons that I won't go into right now -- my cup isn't that big -- I've always been really aware of the dip in performance that comes with lack of sleep.

My prescription: a bath hot enough to leave you feeling like an overcooked noodle, gentle yoga stretches, a cup of Nighty Night, and the development of mind-clearing meditation skils.

It'll only cost you time and spare change for tea, and the relaxation skills can help you combat stress generally.

Tea done. Nighty night.