DEV Community

Kudakwashe Paradzayi
Kudakwashe Paradzayi

Posted on

How I managed to control my insomnia

I have battled with insomnia for a while now and I have had trouble getting some sleep. In the morning I would wake up tired and that would mess up my day.

I searched on the internet and surprisingly this is a common problem that affects developers. After doing extensive digging, I found out some of the issues that were contributing to the insomnia.

  1. Blue Light - It has been researched by many experts (checkout this Harvad article) that blue light is a major culprit in causing lack of sleep. For me the major source of blue light was my laptop since I do most of my coding & twitter stuff in it.
  2. Fear of not getting things done - I am a student and on the side I do freelance projects. After school I prepare my supper and get ready to dive into the next project or finish one that I would have started earlier. So while doing that I would build a mental graph of all the context that accumulated during that programming session and my fear would be that I would lose all that info once I go to sleep. So I would carry on.
  3. Afraid of the dark - It's quite embarrassing for me to say this but I had some fear of the dark and would try to sleep with the lights on. I suspect this was a huge contributor to my failure to sleep early.

So It went on like that for a long time until one day I was in the bus and listening to @mijustin's podcast saas.transistor.fm when I heard him suggest the sleep with me podcast. I tried it for a night and I fell asleep so easily that I was even surprised myself.

I started doing more research on what causes lack of sleep because prior to my experience with sleep with me podcast, I thought I had some incurable condition. I found out that writing your thoughts down before you sleep can help reduce the mental load and can free your mind to rest whilst you sleep. So below is a tweet summarizing what has helped me get to sleep earlier and longer.

A tweet about how I solved my insomnia problem

I hope this article will help more people who could be facing the same problem. A good night's sleep is a step towards having a great day.

Peace ✌️

Top comments (4)

Collapse
 
arethamorce profile image
arethamorce

hello, did you guys ever considered using MMJ or CBD oils, Compounds in marijuana naturally relax your mind and body. The best weed for insomnia typically contains a high level of CBD. Research shows that marijuana can decrease the time it takes to fall asleep. It can also improve β€œdeep wave” sleep cycles where we get the most rest. Trying medical marijuana strains like gyo.green/house-seeds-og-kush-bst-... for insomnia can help restore your natural brain chemistry. This may get you into a new routine, where falling asleep comes more easily. Just sharing have a nice day

Collapse
 
kudapara profile image
Kudakwashe Paradzayi

Unfortunately those substances are illegal where I am from

Collapse
 
archaecruz profile image
archaecruz

Bubba Kush Delta 8 helps with insomnia by easing symptoms. The CBD content in this cannabis flower counteracts the psychoactive effects of THC. Bubba kush, also known as the Indica Queen, is known for its great taste and euphoric effects. Its high level of beta-caryophyllene has also been known to reduce stress and pain.

Collapse
 
tylergallagher profile image
TylerGallagher • Edited

Hello there! I know this thread is old, but I wanted to chime in and offer some advice on insomnia that has helped me. I also know that using electronic devices before bed can make it harder to fall asleep. Have you tried using blue light blocking glasses? They can be really helpful in reducing the negative effects of blue light on your sleep. Additionally, I understand how important it is to get things done, but it's also important to prioritize rest. Have you considered making a to-do list for the next day before going to bed? This can help alleviate some of the anxiety around not getting things done. Lastly, have you tried any pain relief things like CBD? Personally, CBD oil has greatly helped me relax before going to bed. So, guys, how's your sleep now?