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by tony 2282 days ago
Dealt with sleep/concentration issues for over a decade. Some anecdotes:

- No caffeine after 1/2/3PM (even "sleep-friendly" tea throws me off)

- Melatonin / Sleep aids: See if they work for you

- Don't drink before bed (because it means a bathroom break in the middle of the night) [1]

- If you do wake up in the middle of the night, a snack may help. (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/food-and-drink-prom...). Though I don't know, I've tried Chamomile tea and it keeps me up.

- Sleep study. Screen for sleep apnea. You may be able to get a CPAP machine depending on insurance.

- Find a psychiatrist to screen for adult ADD/ADHD.

- Consider a single monitor, ultra wide screen, and tiling/snapping window. Always have your content you need to get done open.

- Take a few days to clean and unclutter stuff. It takes an upfront emotional toll to get rid of stuff (loss aversion), but most stuff you forget. Junk is burdensome on the mind.

- A nice podcast on procrastination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWFWsR0iPqI

- Dietary: Any sensitivities? Consider simplifying your diet to be very plain (cut carbs?) and experiment. I do keto. Simple carbs can impact me heavily!

- Bed: Do you have a comfy bed frame? Blankey? Pillow? Latex pillows are nice. I like soft pillows and hard mattresses. Amazon has cheap, high quality bed frames and mattresses-in-a-box, and I'm a big guy. My bed setup is ~$350 all included, with a comfy comfy pillow. Walmart has mattress-in-a-box.

[1] my hypothesis is for certain people, when they wake up at night, go to the bathroom, it's enough excitement to make it hard to go back to bed.

Subsystems to fix: Unclutter physical possessions, Streamline info spaces (computer workflows, email), avoid stimulants in afternoon / evening. Check for sleep apnea and ADD/ADHD.

2 comments

Great items to throw out there. Getting the clutter out of my workspace and moving to one big monitor has bee huge for me. Just makes you focus on work. I don’t allow myself to do distracting things when in my workspace. Make sure to take breaks and walk away, then you can check whatever online vices.
"Simple carbs can impact me heavily!"

What effects do they have on you?

Not OP. Simple carbs, like glucose, have a very measurable impact on my day's mood: after the sugar rush, I usually feel depressed and without energy.

Indirectly, it affects my bedtime routine, as I get way less done on the day, and feel guilty going to bed. (Even as I lay in bed after taking melatonin at a certain time.)