I know I’m not the only person who struggles with sleep.
It started when I was in high school and was constantly up late doing homework for classes the next day.
I would get anxious realizing how late it was and the few hours I had between that point and the time I was forced to wake up each morning. And then the anxiety would make it even harder for me to fall asleep, perpetuating the problem. After a few years of this back and forth battle with my brain to sleep at night without constant distractions, I learned to make my alarm clock face in the opposite direction so I couldn’t constantly check to see what time it was, which would give me more anxiety in the short term. Nowadays I use a sleep aid, usually allergy medication, and I try to avoid any caffeine late in the day. As long as I keep a normal sleep schedule, I manage to function somewhat well during the day. But one huge factor in my quest for better sleep is the temperature of my house at night. It’s harder for me to have a restful sleep when temperatures in my house are too high. I prefer to turn on the air conditioner and keep the temperature at 72 degrees or lower during my sleeping hours. With the air conditioner running and maintaining a temperature of 72 degrees, I tend to sleep soundly and for much longer than I would otherwise. Since I keep my a/c up at a higher temperature during the day, it can handle the colder temperatures at night.