I thought this is an interesting article since so many of us try to cheat sleep in order to gain more productivity. Perhaps you guys can share some tips on what works for you to get a good night's sleep.
Seriously, a drink and a bit of light reading followed by 5-10 minutes of pillow talk works fine for me. I avoid the computer for at least a half hour before going to sleep: it's the routine of settling down for the evening that helps me sleep, rather than any individual components. The reading material is usually something I've read before rather than something new which I Must Complete.
A while ago I tried eliminating all caffeine (I typically drink a lot of diet Coke and coffee). The first few days were hell, and I pretty much sat staring blankly at my computer. Then I had a couple of really magical days where I felt quite alert even in the typically drowsy afternoons. And what was weird was that I seemed to dream more vividly (and remember my dreams). Then I fell off the wagon... at some point I need to try that experiment again, because I think I was onto something.
- Reduce Caffein intake. the half life of caffein is 6h on average...
- Reduce sugar intake.
- Try to go to bed at a regular time.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- No coffee or tea in the afternoon.
- try to respect sleep cycles.
www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm
www.sleepwarrior.comIf it applies, then a change in career is probably best. I'm happy freelancing anyways :) Probably the most interesting thing to take out of this is that being tired will not help you get to sleep earlier - but being rested will.
Other than that, I now use black tea as a caffeine source (only two cups, at the time of day I'm most likely to be drowsy), put a couple variators instead of light switches to be able to dim the lights, use f.lux on my comp and don't read in bed. It works pretty well.