

Ask HN: What do you do when you can't sleep... - bradleyjoyce

... but are too tired to work / do much of anything productive? I call this the "entrepreneur's purgatory" and it is something that I seem to have been increasingly experiencing lately. Sometimes it's because I have a new idea floating around in my head I can't let go, sometimes it's because I'm thinking about all the stuff I need to get done the next day. What do y'all do when you can't sleep, but you're too tired to work?
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photon_off
This "purgatory" is harmful. When you feel like you must be productive all the
time, or feel overwhelmed about having so much to do, it's easy to feel guilty
anytime you're not working. That puts yourself between a rock and a hard
place. When I feel myself slipping into that mindset, I tell myself "it's time
to wind down a little" and enjoy the free time I allot myself. I realize I'm
"wasting" time that I _could_ technically be using to work, but I also realize
it's necessary and overall beneficial to take a break or recharge by sleeping.

I'm sure you'll get a lot of advice on this thread about what to do to break
out of purgatory. I think the most valuable advice is to realize that while in
purgatory it's quite easy to dismiss any advice due to pessimism or "fuck it I
just need to do work"-ism. I think most of the battle is breaking free from
your guilty timewasting/not-sleeping habits, and mustering up the willpower to
try any of things people suggest. At least that's how it was for me.

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garply
I drink a moderate amount of alcohol to ward off insomnia. I guess this
wouldn't work if I had chronic problems sleeping, but I find sipping a sweet
nightcap or maybe a glass of wine while reading a book or watching TV helps
push me over the edge into sleep.

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willcannings
I normally read. Nothing that will get me excited or thinking too much, like
some easy books or a newspaper. But - if you frequently can't sleep it's
possibly a sign you're stressed and need to take a break. It can feel
stressful even just thinking about taking a few days off! But the productivity
you'll lose by not working will be more than made up by your increased
productivity when you get back and (hopefully) feel more relaxed and focused.

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bemmu
I just rose from my bed to check HN because I couldn't sleep, and this is the
post I encounter :) I woke up at 9am and bicycled 14km + took a swim to tire
myself with exercise, but it wasn't enough apparently. Maybe the "problem" is
that in some way I actually enjoy being awake alone at night.

~~~
bradleyjoyce
Personally I think part of my problem is that I particularly like working at
night.. I find I'm more focused and productive. However, this backfires quite
a bit when I would prefer to be sleeping but can't because my brain is used to
being active and doesn't want to slow down.

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_corbett
1\. I lie there for about a half an hour and decide to have a restful time and
not worry about sleeping, just appreciating the fact that I'm not working and
allowing myself to relax. 2\. If I'm still awake after that I do something low
key and low adrenaline for a bit, reading non-fiction or fiction usually. I
use the internet as caffeine so staying away from it is key if I hope to
sleep. 3\. If I'm still awake after a bit of that I go back to 1.

I was an insomniac for a few years as a child and part of the cycle was
stressing about not being able to get to sleep. Thus the part about deciding
to have a restful time without being dead set on sleeping is particularly
important for me.

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hgarg
1\. Write everything which you are thinking about. 2\. Read something totally
non-technical and off-topic 3\. a hot bath and a hot glass of milk

~~~
bradleyjoyce
writing is a good suggestion... hopefully it will either be a healthy brain
dump or make me super tired... or both!

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c1sc0
Meditate until my minds stops wandering around. And smile, this may sound
ridiculous, but whenever I feel stressed out, scared or when I can't sleep I
try to put on my biggest forced grin for a few seconds. Bonus points if you do
it in front of a mirror. Seems to work for me.

------
pbhjpbhj
HN / reddit / slashdot / ...

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sirwitti
i know just too good what you mean.

if you ask me, the real question is not what to do when you can´t sleep, but
what to do before you get to sleep.

as you say, you´re thinking about your product(s), features, business plans,
the next steps,...

the best thing is, at some point i´d say at least 30min before you wanna go to
bed) you have to stop.

stop thinking about whatever you work.

stop thinking about future stuff.

and start to relax. read a book. get out with friends (even if its just for an
hour).

perhaps you might think that this is time you need for developing ideas, plan
stuff...

perhaps it is, BUT your (mine too of course) performance in the night sucks,
and if you can´t sleep your tired the next day and then your performance sucks
too.

another point is that you can´t work all day and night forever.

i had a day that summer when i realised that all the work i´m doing is
bullshit and i´d rather stop today than tomorrow. so i took some days off...

don´t let it get that far.

and most important:

have fun (outside work too)

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staunch
Any kind of speaking voices that can keep my attention without being too
exciting. A movie I've seen before, a documentary, or an audio book/podcast.
Google Tech Talks and Charlie Rose tend to be pretty great for me.

The key is to occupy my mind with something external so my body can seize the
opportunity to fall asleep.

~~~
covercash
Try TED Talks (<http://www.ted.com>) and Mixergy interviews
(<http://www.mixergy.com>) too!

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radu_floricica
General sleeping advice works. I find it's impossible to keep feeling like
this once I turn off _all_ the lights in the house, including computers.
Reading by candlelight (real ones... or just really weak yellow light) works.
Don't get into bed until you're tired.

For everyday use, fLux is awsome.

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eswat
If a fresh idea is keeping me up, I just get out of bed and write it down,
knowing I can’t really act on it in a tired state – leave it for the next day.

If I just can’t sleep for other reasons, I usually read a book. Within 20
minutes or so my body will finally give in and I can catch some zzz.

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crazydiamond
1\. If in bed, focus on breathing with silent mind.

2\. Otherwise, one can take a walk, or lie down and do #1.

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justlearning
imho, you should try this:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savasana>

worked for me - better sleep 'quality', no more waking up feeling tired or
those sudden jump from the bed from a nightmare.

~~~
covercash
Combine that with <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pranayama>

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Luyt
I listen to podcasts, at a low volume, while lying in bed, lights off.

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yaraher
Read Artful Making :)

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uptown
I play Angry Birds

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Tichy
Playing Carcassonne on Brettspielwelt.de

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lelele
I read fiction.

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vineet7kumar
I watch TV.

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gubatron
facebook games, tetris battle. perfect thing to let your mind get a break

