Can’t sleep? Let’s debug your sleep habits

People like to overcomplicate their sleep problems and come up with overly expensive solutions (like smart watches and expensive mattresses). Usually, the issue is something simple. And, even when the root cause is not something simple, you can usually fix it with something simple.

Here’s my simple recommendation for debugging your sleep: First, view yourself as a plant, then as a baby.

Plant

  • Are you getting enough sunlight?
  • Are you getting enough water?
  • Are you getting enough social activity (yes, plants are social)
  • Are you getting enough nutrients/good food?

Baby

  • Do you have regular sleep hours? Do you stick to a regular schedule?
  • Are you getting enough love?
  • Are you stressed?
  • Are you sleeping in a quiet, distraction-free room?
  • Are you too warm? (err on the side of cold)
  • Are you getting enough exercise?

Additional considerations

  • Treat your sleep time like timezones. if you want to sleep earlier, you must think of it as changing your timezone. you can do it once off quickly, but for it to stick, it’ll take about a week for your body to catch up and normalise. The reason it feels like shit when you wake up too early is because you have jetlag.
  • Cut down on alcohol
  • Cut down on videos (i don’t know if you watch youtube)
  • Don’t take sleeping pills
  • Put away all electronics/things that make you intense an hour before sleeping.
  • Get a lamp, use that past 10pm rather than overhead fluorescent lighting.