As a clinical psychologist, lifestyle coach, media guru, and Sleep Number bed owner, Dr. Josh Klapow often works with clients who think prescription drugs may solve their problems when really, the solution calls for adjusting their sleep behavior.

"As a psychologist, the number one issue is stress, generic stress," explains Klapow, of Birmingham. "And number two, we're constantly helping people with sleep hygiene — the behaviors you need to engage to get proper sleep. For over 80 percent of sleep problems, the number one treatment for them is sleep hygiene, not medications."

Klapow would know. He is a clinician who cohosts the Kurre & Klapow Radio Show, and he offers his expert advice to media outlets from NBC's "The Today Show" to the online magazine Bustle.

But he also suffered from insomnia for "literally decades" until he tweaked his own sleep hygiene methods. Today, his sleep is regimented: dark room, Sleep Number CoolFit^® contour pillow, Sleep Number bed set at 65, Total Protection Mattress Pad, and in bed at the same time every night.

His typical schedule is fairly regimented, in part to maximize his sleep hygiene. He goes to bed at 9:30 p.m. and wakes at 4 a.m. to eat, work out and shower before his day really starts at 7:30 a.m.

Depending upon the day of the week, he has performance coaching with clients, hours of media interviews, travel for client work, radio/podcast tapings and corporate coaching work. He is also, through all that, on call for emergencies.

SLEEP IS AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR HEALTH

At bedtime, he puts his own needs first, and refrains from binge-watching TV shows late into the night. His bed is a health investment, he says, as opposed to being a luxury item.

"My bed, to me, is a health tool," he states.

"On the back side of 30, we can't recover as quickly, and sleep is our chance to do that," notes Klapow, who touts sleep research as he explains the reasons behind his own sleep hygiene. "It's important. That's why we invested in the Sleep Number bed.

"Think about your major purchases," he says of his mattress, "a bed is nowhere near the cost of your car, and you're in it seven days a week. Ideally you're in it seven or eight hours a day, but even if you're in it six hours? That's a lot of time."

products he recommends

His whole family — his wife, teen daughter, and college-aged son — uses Sleep Number products. He brings his Sleep Number^® pillow when he travels, and sent his son off to college with a Sleep Number^® mattress pad to help improve his dorm room sleep.

"Every single one of us has a Sleep Number^® pillow with a CoolFit case," shares Klapow.

Klapow and his wife first purchased a Sleep Number^® bed about 15 years ago, when it was just an air pump and cord. Their current sleep environment is a King Sleep Number bed with a cover, duvet, SleepIQ technology to track and monitor their sleep, and one remote.

"It makes a huge difference for folks like me who have some injuries — nothing major — and a little bit of age," he says. "And, I'm a fairly light sleeper, so sleep for me needs to be structured much like my athletics or anything else."

Like diet and exercise, quality sleep has a profound impact on our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Because no two people sleep the same, Sleep Number 360^® smart beds, with SleepIQ^® technology, sense your movements and automatically adjust firmness, comfort and support to keep you both sleeping comfortably and provide proven quality sleep. Find your Sleep Number^® setting for your best possible night's sleep, and if you own a Sleep Number^® bed, log in to your InnerCircle℠ Rewards account to see your exclusive offers, refer friends and more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adrienne Samuels Gibbs writes leadership bios, consumer-oriented features and arts and culture content for outlets such as Netflix, Forbes, Ebony, Chicago Sun-Times and NBC.