My job is so exhausting, I'm asleep within 30min of head hitting the pillow, even if it's only 7 or 8 pm.

The consequence ,I usually wake up around midnight, hence why I'm currently on Lemmy at 00:45.

I woke up at 3am after seeing Nine Inch Nails last night because I didn't take my (prescribed) sleeping pills. I drank a LOT, but I just don't stay asleep. I'm tired! I just can't stay asleep. I'll be close to falling asleep in several hours when I'm trying to pretend to work. Sucks.

If you've been in bed for 45 minutes and haven't been able to fall asleep, you should get up and do something boring/uninteresting until you get tired. If you stay in bed, mentally you'll associate being in bed with not sleeping, and it'll just get worse.

If it happens a lot, it's worth considering CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) and getting a sleep study done (to see if you have sleep apnea).

I have a playlist of somewhat relaxing (wife disagrees on it being relaxing) music I've heard a billion times before (mostly instrumental game music). Paired with a "soft" EQ preset that also drops the volume. Put it on with a sleep timer for 30 minutes.

Over top of that, a set of ambient relaxing noise, set so it almost, but not quite, drowns out the music. Basically I have to focus a little to pick out the music. Set that with a sleep timer for 45 minutes.

Into one headphone in whichever ear isn't against the pillow.

All the noises are relaxing, and the need to focus to hear the music helps keep my brain from getting wrapped up in other thoughts. Once I focus on the music, it's stuff I know intently so eventually it filters out into no thoughts and I'm out.

If I'm having a particularly rough night, jerk off first and/or melatonin.

Also, blue light filtering and reduced brightness on all screens starting at least 30 minutes before you lay down.

I can feel that's going to be tonight. This morning's gig was one of the better one I've had in years. I'm going to be riding this high for a while. Tonight that means very little sleep.

Next, midnight salsa and midnight ice cream

all panels migraine and an extra one that says "6 hours after my shift has gone by without me realizing even though work called me every half hour" and its a stressed out face

Only when consuming caffeine too much or too late, or eating peanuts or potato chips. Getting old sucks.

Also, no problem napping during the day, you know, apart from the whole "no sleeping at work!" thing.

I've been running into this a lot more often lately. And the worst part about this is that my tinnitus that normally I can ignore starts screeching louder, so it keeps me up even more

It's just a perpetual negative feedback loop

Unrelatable. Can't stay like that in bed for that long.