Interesting article: The Human Mind Is Not Meant to Be Awake After Midnight, Scientists Warn:
our attention to negative stimuli is unusually heightened at night.
When I’m awake in the middle of the night I often remind myself that nothing then is real.
@alanralph I had years where I was severely sleep deficient. I've worked hard on it for the last few years and now generally get around 7 or 8 hours. It's made an enormous difference.
@Miraz Matt Walker's "Why we Sleep" 📚 as much as we can know on this, which isn't much
From my experience, even in last week def true late night brings out "Bad Habits" as Ed Sheeran put it
@Miraz I think it depends on why we’re awake. If I’m doomscrolling or obsessing over some thought, it’s awful. If I’m lost in a book or wrapped up in an excellent movie, I’m still exhausted, but it hits different.
@splinter True. For me it might be that I've woken for some reason and then whirling thoughts prevent me going back to sleep. Sometimes reading helps, or having a cup of tea, with or without reading. The hot tea somehow anchors me back to reality.
@Miraz I wish tea helped me sleep. I use it to help focus for work or long outings, so now my mind associates it with being awake and alert.
And yes, using a book or a drink as a focal point to ground and quiet yourself, that’s close to what I was talking about! Sometimes those focal points become their own distractions from sleep. 😂