I can't sleep

yup, Ive had sleep problems since birth so I know what it's like

 

Yeah, I have chronic insomnia. Try wearing dark sunglasses after 5pm, you look like an idiot but it's helped me.

 

I've been told that my solution to this isn't very constructive, but it really does work for me. Caffeine!

 

Don't sleep in so much.

If you're falling asleep at 3am and waking up at 1pm, you're getting 10 hours of sleep - just at the wrong time of day. So you won't feel sleepy at bedtime, because you've already gotten plenty of sleep.

If you force yourself to wake up at the same time no matter how little sleep you've gotten, it'll be miserable for awhile, but your sleep cycle will (usually) adjust.

Then again, if nothing's forcing you to get up at a certain time, it's not going to hurt you to be on a different sleep cycle from everyone else.

 

I can be an insomniac, but I also know that part of the reason is I have bad habits at night. I am trying to cut out caffeine after 6, no electronics after 9, and meditation at night.

I'm not doing so well with my plan so far, but I do have a plan. Try these things and see how it works for you.

 

Yep, melatonin works for a lot of people. I can't use it because it exacerbates my chronic sleep paralysis problems but its worth a shot if you don't have that issue.

I also recommend meditation or something similar before bed. I'm mostly ignostic, but I find the ritual of the nighttime Shema to be very helpful. In its most basic essence it's away of releasing and forgiving the stresses and regrets of the previous day in order to your rest in a state of serenity and peace.

 

My schedule is 4am to 11am. It isn't a problem for me, though.