I also wish I'd left the tech industry sooner. Now that I'm in a field that's a better fit for me, I just wish I could have the same length of career as some of my coworkers in it.
I have horrible sleep hygiene and it worries my sometimes. I’ve had bad sleep habits starting as a teen so it’s been hard to break out of them.
I lift heavy weights for 1-2 hours every other day. My body forces me to sleep 8-9 hours/day to recover.
The tipping point was going to bed only when sleepy and forcing myself up at the same time every day as much as possible. Problem is, some weeks will be super rough, but I kept trying and even with an imperfect execution that made me sleepy again at bedtime, which I thought was something I had lost forever. To lay down and sleep.
What helped you the most with the chronic insomnia? Do you have any advice?
Thanks
For me, it was a combination of things, here's the order I've tried: 1. Lift weights 2-3 times a week. 2. Avoid caffeine after 10:00am. 3. Stop eating like an idiot. 4. Go to the doctor and get blood work done. Turns out my hormones were all screwy. I had to get three different opinions before I found a doctor who gave me more info than "go to sleep sooner" and actually gave me some vitamins and hormone pills that helped a lot. 5. Therapy (CBT). It took me going to 3-4 therapists before I found one that jived with me.
For some people you just need to do step 1 or 2. For me it took all five. My biggest lesson is that doctors are just people to who are trying their best. Don't be afraid to see more than one or push them if you're not getting results. They can only help you as much as the feedback you give them.
It was totally worth doing all this though.
Also: Avoid caffeine for the first 90 minutes of your day.
The lifting did it with me. And going to bed at 10 every night for two years in my early 30s, because there was someone next to me I wanted go be like.