I usually manage the stress of not sleeping by telling myself “at least I’m resting..”, and once I stop worrying just drift off. When this doesn’t work I get up but avoid tv/screens because I’ve heard that the light they emit switches on your “time to wake up” switch in your brain.

I often get this, more so since having a kid (now 2) – who sleeps in the next room. Took a while to work out she kicks the cot / wall through the night and this wakes me up but I don’t hear it while awake, so just wake up thinking “huh, why did I wake up?”. If I stay away long enough she’ll do it again.

2 strong cocodomal (sp?) usually do the trick for a sound night’s sleep.

…or learn to do the cognitive shuffle:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/15/shuffle-thoughts-sleep-oliver-burkeman

The cognitive shuffle involves mentally picturing a random sequence of objects for a few seconds each: a cow; a microphone; a loaf of bread, and so on. It’s important to ensure the sequence is truly meaningless, otherwise you’ll drift back into rumination. One option is Beaudoin’s app, MySleepButton, which speaks the names of items in your ear. Another is simply to pick a word, such as “bedtime”, then picture as many items beginning with “b” as you can, then “e”, then “d”, then… Well, by then, if my experience is anything to go by, you’ll be asleep.

In part, Beaudoin argues, this works because the brain has evolved to determine whether it’s safe to fall asleep by checking what one specific part of the brain, the cortex, is doing. If it’s engaged in “sense-making” activity, that’s a sign it may be weighing up dangers. But if thoughts have degenerated into rambling nonsense, the coast is probably clear. By filling the mind with nonsense, you trigger the sleep switch. Yet the technique also works for a simpler reason: it’s hard to focus on multiple things at once. While you’re busy generating a mental image of a microphone, it’s tricky to fret about your mortgage.

…I’m the wrong person to post on this thread as my wife assures me I’m usually asleep the second my head hits the pillow. But sometimes I’ll wake up, start thinking about work or whatever and worry about not dropping off again. This is a rock solid technique for getting to sleep quickly, if you can be arsed to do it. It’s sometimes nicer to lie there feeling tired. I’ve adapted it a bit – think of villages/hills up a valley alphabetically, picturing them. Thing is to dot about so your brain can tell you’re not doing anything important, and off it goes…

I’m the opposite to that. I can’t get to sleep before 3 AM

Don’t you think watching Netflix at that time would then set up you up each night?

Possibly but then whatever I do would…I’d like it to be getting back to sleep but that’s not an option… so I do what I can. The one thing makes it worse is lying there worrying about it. Previously I’ve done all sorts like strip bearings … etc. but I can watch netflix or read in bed… and then just fall asleep and the kindle or iPad switches itself off…

I’ve found getting up and doing something doesn’t work well for me… though doubtless it will for some.

When I stripped down the sealed bearings… cleaned em… repacked etc. (not for any reason than busy work) I went to back bed .. tossed and turned for an hour then gave up and swapped some tubeless tyres over (not for any reason) … went back to bed… tossed and tired and then it was 6:00 and the alarm was going off..

A month ago I was waking up at 5am which was fine… just docked about for an hour… and before that it was 1-2 am etc.

9-6 weeks ago I had to be up for work every 2 hours (for 3 weeks including weekends) and that really screwed me up… I had mostly 20 mins getting my eyes working then 10 minutes work then an hour getting back to sleep then it seemed the next 2 hours was starting and the freakin alarm going.

..update … and this morning made it to nearly 5am… (at a bit of a guess as I didn’t check the time but just working back from when it started to get light)