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?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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 → bemmu]

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.

[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 → hgarg]

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

[_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.

[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 / ...

[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 → staunch]

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

[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)

[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.

[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.

[crazydiamond]

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

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

[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 → justlearning]

Combine that with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pranayama

[bradleyjoyce → justlearning]

looks interesting! thanks for the tip.

[Luyt]

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

[yaraher]

Read Artful Making :)

[uptown]

I play Angry Birds

[Tichy]

Playing Carcassonne on Brettspielwelt.de

[lelele]

I read fiction.

[vineet7kumar]

I watch TV.

[gubatron]

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