How I Hacked My Sleep as a Programmer

Six years ago I was suddenly struck with chronic insomnia where I couldn't sleep more than 3 hours a night. This lasted for nearly 3 years, and I struggled through sleep studies, behavioral changes, and all the typical tips you read online about overcoming insomnia.
Working as a programmer in the tech industry can create a lot of anxiety because we work with our mind. And if your mind is stressed out, add on to that the pressure of personal relationships and finances - and you've got a recipe for horrible sleep problems.
What ultimately treated my insomnia and helped me heal was a combination of psychological, behavioral, environmental, and physical changes I made. In this episode I share 25 practical steps you can try if you're personally struggling with getting a good night's sleep. I hope if you've lost hope that healing your insomnia is possible, my story and what I did gives you the courage to give it another try.
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CHAPTER MARKERS
0:00 Introduction
1:15 Negative Effects of Insomnia
2:19 Categories of Insomnia Solutions
2:29 1. Psychological Sleep Solutions for Insomnia
2:35 1.1 Wrap Up Your Workday
3:57 1.2 Keep a Notepad By Your Bed
5:03 1.3 Schedule Worry Time
7:04 1.4 Do 1 Thing You're Putting Off
8:41 1.5 Reduce Social Media Use
9:21 2. Behavior Sleep Solutions for Insomnia
9:27 2.1 Set a Realistic Sleep and Wake Time
11:54 2.2 Don't Look at The Clock
12:58 2.3 Only Use Your Bed for Sleep or Sex
14:10 2.4 Stay off Devices for an Hour Before Bed
15:19 2.5 Quit Drinking or Doing Drugs
16:35 3. Environmental Sleep Solutions for Insomnia
16:40 3.1 Keep Your Room Dark and Cold
18:28 3.2 Use a Fan or White Noise Generator
19:37 3.3 Use Tungsten Light Bulbs
21:32 3.4 Use a CPAP Machine or Tape
23:05 3.5 Side Sleeping with a Tall Pillow
24:20 4. Physical Sleep Solutions for Insomnia
24:24 4.1 Don't Eat or Drink After Dinner
25:33 4.2 Cardio Exercise Every Morning
28:45 4.3 Reduce or Eliminate Caffeine
31:07 4.4 Drink Water Throughout the Day
32:29 4.5 Get Enough Magnesium
#insomnia #sleep #tech

[@HealthyDev]

Are you facing trouble sleeping? What have you done to try and treat your insomnia? What worked and what didn't? ►► Join my Discord on Patreon → www.patreon.com/HealthySoftwareDeveloper

[@felex777]

My recipe was: push work back, reduce/eliminate overtime. Walking and breathing fresh air (ocean walks every weekend), chelated magnesium + melatonin. I bought a new mattress and 2 pillows: one firm and a bit softer one. No laptop in bed any more. Otherwise, you get used to coding instead of sleeping to the state you realize it's already the next day.:) Thanks for great tips!

[@janco333]

How did you reduce overtime?

[@Budulai89]

Perfect timing. Literally slept 3-4 hours tonight.

[@HealthyDev]

Oh man, I'm sorry...

[@SeriousCat5000]

The number one tip that helped me is to disabuse myself of the attitude that "I have insomnia" or "I can't sleep". Holding on strongly to those beliefs trains your mind to think that's an immutable charasteristic about oneself. Instead, when you find yourself laying in bed for long periods not being able to fall asleep , think to yourself "well, I'm just having a hard time falling asleep again" but that you will eventually fall sleep... and sooner rather than later get a full 8-9 hours of a night's sleep. Replace the worry of not sleeping and it's consequences with looking forward to that next time you do get fantastic sleep.

[@HealthyDev]

Thanks for sharing. That's definitely helpful too!

[@ilyasaroui7745]

Getting sun exposure first thing in the morning helped! Ironically i had my best sleep nights while camping in a tent somewhere in the mountains. Im sure it s the results of : no lights, cold weather, fresh oxygen, nature smell, no computer, natural light waking you up…

[@HealthyDev]

I haven't camped in years. I can totally see how that would help, have heard similar stories from past coworkers!

[@tordjarv3802]

For me the major cause of my insomnia was one of the things I did to make me sleep better. I was really annoyed by sounds in my environment so I started to sleep with earplugs. While the earplugs made it easier to fall asleep, they woke me up after about 3 to 4 hours of sleep, due to pain in my ears. The pain was not strong enough for me to notice it on a conscious level but strong enough to make it impossible for me to sleep. Once I discovered this I was able to sleep a full 7 hours almost every night. My bad nights now are like my best nights when I had insomnia.

[@HealthyDev]

Fascinating! Never heard of this.Thanks for sharing.

[@rafaelzeffa]

I also had insomnia in the past, and having a TODO list helped me a lot for keeping my brain empty for sleeping.

[@ItsAllGoodGames]

I think I can offer a unique comment, not many have heard of somatics, for example the feldenkrais method. You do these “awareness through movement” lessons and they have powerful effects on your muscular organization, doing a lesson before bed can help massively to calm the nervous system and fall asleep. And that’s just the peak of the iceberg

[@ItsAllGoodGames]

Like for example due to my health issues my left hip gets frozen a lot, just very stiff compared to my right. This kind of awareness stuff loosens up the hip and suddenly I get a flood of emotion, sometimes I cry spontaneously or I smile and laugh but I just feel like I’m not “pent up” anymore. I think computer work can create habitual stiffness for many because we’re kind of alienated from our own bodies due to cultural upbringing and stresses of life.

[@thedev6368]

This is probably more helpful than most of the other videos about insomnia on the entire internet

[@HealthyDev]

You're too kind. Hope it helps!

[@estelaplateada4]

Thanks for bringing up the topic. I haven't struggled nearly as much as you, but this has been a topic for about the last decade. Very helpful tips on your journey

[@sergiojimenez4595]

I am 24 and have had cronic sleep problems for a couple of years now. I knew some of these tips, but some were new to me and I will implement them into my routine. Thanks for sharing!

[@HealthyDev]

Nice! Hope some of them really help you out.

[@Parameter8030]

One thing I started doing was implementing a quick stretching routine, nothing special, just hamstrings, glutes, calves, hips, quads. Very relaxing and lets out a lot of the tension accumulated during the day.

[@HealthyDev]

Great advice! I hope to do an episode on the stretching and posture work I did to convert to a standing station 7 years ago at some point. Doing this before bedtime is a GREAT idea. 👍

[@Parameter8030]

@@HealthyDev I'll look forward to it then! Thanks for the great videos and God Bless :)

[@kernelpanic5672]

Sometimes I find myself looking through imaginary code, trying to guess where the bug I've been looking for all day is

[@HealthyDev]

🤣

[@verb0ze]

Thanks for putting this video out. I think it's software engineers have some very bad health habits that are seldom talked about. I can routinely do consecutive 20 hours coding days, not because I *need* to, but because my mind just gets hung up about solving some technical issue. This is not healthy, and I particularly like the tip about having set work hours, especially in this remote work era.

[@programthis3805]

So happy this channel is back!

[@RolandV3922]

Hi there! I had the same problem for approx 5 years but it seems the last 6 months I am on a path to recovery. Many of the experiences and tips that you cover resonate with me. I think that in my case, there were multiple causes. One of them, probably, were hormonal changes (I am now 54 years old) that needed to settle. A second source was work-related frustration, it helped to realize that I shouldn't be frustrated about stuff that was outside my zone of control. I also tended to portray behavior of coworkers that was frustrating to me as negative and somewhat deliberate, after a talk with a coworker I came to the realization that multiple explanations are possible, and I had a tendency for the negative ones. Lastly, I do believe that you touch upon that in your video, was that when going to bed, assuring my mind that it is safe. So I think 'you are safe, you are loved, you are one of the lucky ones in this worlds population'. Oh, having both a thick and a thinner duvet in the bed was also helpful: I would need the thinner one when going to sleep, and could swap it for the thicker one in the middle of the night when my body's temperature dropped. Thank you for making a video about this subject!

[@HealthyDev]

Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear I'm not alone, and that you got through it too!

[@adamcarroll3498]

Amazing advice. Much appreciated for you to go into this level of detail, I'm a dev and suffer a lot from sleep problems. Great content, thank you!

[@HealthyDev]

You’re very welcome! Sorry you’re struggling.

[@milystrand]

You are doing many people a great favor by making these videos! I admire your ability to express and explain your struggles and solutions. Keep at it!

[@thomasf.9869]

Insomnia is usually the result of an over-active mind. It's very often a hint that all is not well in the workplace, and even if you should quit your job , it is probably better not to make rash decisions while sleep depraved. That decision should be made with a clear head.

[@safal_timalsena_]

Awesome bro, watching this in bed rn and I'm trying to get on top of my sleep, thank you!

[@abhichaurasia7054]

These tips are really helpful. I've been struggling with my sleeps and constantly feel exhausted throughout the day. Will try to inculcate these habits into my routine and just hope for the best

[@JOSE20071990]

I imagine this video was not easy to share. It is trully appreciated. Best wishes and thank you very much for the content

[@HealthyDev]

You’re very welcome. I’ve come to peace for the most part with how things happened.

[@igorkuna290]

Thank you so much, this great content 🙌🙌 I will rewatch this a few times, take notes and start applying ✅

[@HealthyDev]

Glad you enjoyed it! I maybe included too many options, we'll see lol.

[@drndn]

Again lots of great advice, thanks for sharing. In particular, the thing about keeping a notebook by my bed and also writing notes end of day of important thoughts, I've practiced this for decades and it's very helpful. Writing down thoughts means we can be confident they won't be forgotten and we don't have to keep dwelling on them when trying to fall asleep.

[@skildn370]

great video thanks :)!

[@carlosirias4474]

Fortunately I sleep like a baby, but it's always great to hear your advice.

[@StuartLoria]

I’ve been suffering insomnia from age 7. I call my advice “the life sandwich”: study, work, gym. Then at bed be silent and focus on the pain in your muscles, good night.

[@FullSpectra]

Thanks for the advice! I’m dealing with the same issues and it’s highly relevant to my situation as well.

[@materialknight]

7:06 That piece of advice is very powerful: "Every day, do 1 thing you've been putting off". If you're going to remember only 1 thing from this video, let it be that!

[@ingermariejakobsen1335]

I used to have a notepad beside my bed and I had been working hard on a problem, and in the middle of the night I woke up with an elegant solution to clear in my head. I wrote it down in the notepad, and was able to push it aside and catch more sleep. But the next day I found my notes quite unreadable. I suspect I was half-sleeping when I wrote them and that the elegant solution was actually a dream. I found another solution the day after. But it wasn’t dream-like elegant 😀

[@YourNickIsTaken]

I slept 4-4.5hours a day for 1.5 year. - anxiety at work - personal issues - health issues - financial issues - loud neighbors I had injuries last month and I was medicated with hard drugs (by doctors) and I slept 23 hours a day for 20 days. It was a good kickstart. Now I'm still super tired, but I can think better. And now I can actually realize I was not able to sleep becasue I had not enough sleep. I'll make notes from these tips and try them.

[@HealthyDev]

Wow. I would love 23 hours a day sleep for 20 days! Well not the debt that would come with it. Glad you're OK!

[@YourNickIsTaken]

@@HealthyDev ok my company did not liked I was on sic leave for 40 days. So I'm stress free now \m/

[@magiclover9346]

I do a few things - Severely limit screens in my place of sleep and no work talk/social media (unless the world is on fire) - Have a routine dedicated to myself when I wake up in the morning so I can mentally prepare myself for the day - Quick sit down to watch a show play a game for 30 minutes - Walk the dog - Then if i have the time I might even practice an instrument - Make sure I give myself a few hours each night to decongest. I also have a daughter and if she wakes up early she comes with me walking the dog. Just like good software, separation of concerns is key. When you start to mix work in with personal time it becomes harder and harder to keep it out.

[@ahmedelwa2000]

Thank you I have sleep problems as well since 7 years. I will follow your tips hoping that they would aide :)

[@lesediamondamane]

😂 I'm freaked out by a totally dark room. Will try other tips.

[@jkho8365]

Haha ironically I use your videos to fall asleep. 😂 loved the vids

[@HealthyDev]

I'd advise against that (as I mentioned in the video) but I'm also kind of flattered ha! 🤣🤣

[@jkho8365]

@@HealthyDev voice is soothing, by the fifth night of repeating the video i would hv i internalised the content :p the guitar segments helps

[@PawlTV]

Thank you bro.

[@ItsAllGoodGames]

It 100% helped me to move into a colder room with an open window and no curtain. I used to sleep in a curtained room and it was dark in there all day, Now I actually DO wake up and the challenge to not keep sleeping, whereas before I’d actually sleep past the morning because it was dark. I read a study on some preindustrial tribes and temperature was the main factor in their sleep cycles, they went to bed as the temperature went down and woke up at the lowest point, so turning off the AC temperature control, and cracking open the window, and not bundling up too heavily should help. I’ve even slept in a 50 degree room in the winter and it’s doable with good blankets. Brown fat actually starts developing in the body at like 62 degrees and below room temperature, and that’s supposed to be very good for hormone regulation. I think when one’s burned out, it’s a very good opportunity to learn how to live well, because in a way that’s where the motivation suddenly goes.

[@friarjon7948]

One thing I've wondered is if devs, and other engineering types that use their brains a lot during work, need more sleep than the recommended amounts to be fully rested- like 9 hours instead of 8. - Glad you mentioned Huberman Labs, lots of good info on his channel. - I also find writing stuff down you're stilling thinking about before bed helps - Doing things you've been putting off is a good point, that becomes one less thing to worry about

[@c6jones720]

If you are unlucky your body can become sychronised with computer timings, i.e. load times from tape or os installation times etc. One of the worst things is installing an os before bed. No clocks and having a written notepad is good advice. Sunday nights are the worst

[@HealthyDev]

I'm sorry. When I had bad Sunday nights that was a key sign I needed a change at the day gig.

[@xdisruptor6630]

One more: Eliminate processed foods and carbohydrates in particular (bread we are looking at you). Carbs are known to degrade the quality of your sleep really hard.

[@bellini2535]

Very informative

[@JeffBarron1]

good job needed to be said

[@ItsAllGoodGames]

I think after burnout for me it’s that I have trouble letting the day go, it’s a financial or life goals anxiety or something, it just can be scary to let the day end when you didn’t really accomplish much, meditating before bed helps or actually being productive but I can’t stand that word anymore. And vice versa in the mornings, when I wake up early I feel the weight of the day pressing on me, and I lay in bed for several hours more until I can’t ignore my basic responsibilities anymore. Also there’s health problems, it doesn’t help waking up all stiff, makes it a burden to move the body out of bed. Meditation on the body helps here, not rush getting out of bed, scanning your body loosening up helps a lot get the blood flowing. Also helps when at some point in life you just to yourself, if I’m gonna be burned out and unproductive, I’m gonna at least be up in the morning and sleep at night. The worst feeling is getting up in the afternoon it just sucks so bad knowing half the Days gone and you don’t really wanna be a night person.

[@tehaxor69]

I use a automated light system that changes the lights to red at sundown, and also use a white noise generator. I sleep pretty well for the most part.

[@HealthyDev]

Oooh fancy. Sounds nice!

[@WinstonCodesOn]

I stay up late and don't get enough sleep because my life is so busy that every moment of my day is owned by someone else - work, parenting, other chores or things that need to be done. I don't have time for myself until after like 9pm or later on most nights. That's when I finally feel relaxed and can come up with creative ideas. I don't WANT to sleep I want to start my day (night) living for me at those hours. My sleep is costing me but I'd get depressed if all I did was work for someone else's company, do my obligatory life chores and sleep. I don't know how to fix that.

[@HealthyDev]

Get up early. No seriously, I started getting up at 6 AM. I go for a 40 minute walk and pray. Then I lift weights for 20 minutes. Then I take a shower. And then I read my Bible for 30-40 minutes over breakfast. Granted I'm a remote worker, but I'm easily done by 8:30. You can swap out the activities I do with whatever fills you up. But essentially I give myself me time before anyone else.

[@WinstonCodesOn]

@HealthyDev some people do that but I'm not a morning person. My body just feels weird in the early morning and I can function but all the creative ideas I have haven't baked yet. Takes me a while and some food to get into a state of flow. And I don't like the pressure of thinking I have X time to myself before I have to do XYZ for everyone else. Night is relaxing because it feels like endless quiet. Morning people don't understand the circadian rhythm of night people and how it feels different for us. I did the early morning thing for many years and I know that's schedule doesn't lead to my best accomplishments.

[@HealthyDev]

@@WinstonCodesOn that's too bad. I always told myself I wasn't a morning person. What I personally found, was I was just too undisciplined to get out of bed and work out before doing anything else. I would hate to go back to starting work every day before doing some things for myself. But I understand people are different, and it sounds like you gave it a fair shake.

[@WinstonCodesOn]

@@HealthyDev I think its a matter of preference. I just like the night time! Good video, and great channel overall by the way!

[@GenericInternetter]

I have the opposite problem: I find it very easy to sleep, but I often find it hard to stay alert and focused while awake.

[@beaujo]

DOH! Here I am watching this in bed. Pause, will finish in the AM 😅

[@aqueuse]

@HealthyDev if you cannot occupy yourself an hour before going to sleep with a podcast or a book or a video or a game ... what do you do instead ? I'm struggling a lot with these

[@HealthyDev]

I don't know your situation enough to have some sort of official diagnosis of course. It sounds to me like you may be experiencing content addiction. We all struggle with it. Giving yourself breaks from the phone and gaming to be in nature during the day, is a good practice to start rewiring your brain. It's going to be hard though, it's an addiction like anything else. Essentially you need to spend more time away from computers and get in the habit of leaving your devices well away from the bedroom. Start with small doses, work up to a full blown media fast.

[@aqueuse]

@@HealthyDev I will try it :)

[@aqueuse]

@@HealthyDev maybe I will try to listen more music will not in my computer :)

[@Rudi45778]

hey writing this after 4 days of following i am an young coder i will definitely follow all of your advises thank you for this video i really suffering from stupid sleep pattern and yes when you say write it down the solution or whatever there in your mind just clean it up oh my man this really help it just frees up mind from rumintaion i always suffer form this my mind really never let me sleep on bed even laying down all the thoughts are just keep coming after one there is another though writing that all down really help i will try to be not like you that destroy my sleep pattern let me fix it now so i don't do regret in future and yeah i tried doing 20 minute walk and just 20 mintue light cardio or exercise it really help with sleeping

[@HealthyDev]

Glad to hear this is helping you! Stay strong and keep going. Hopefully as you continue sleeping better, the rumination becomes less of an issue.

[@Rudi45778]

@@HealthyDev yes will try my best to avoid it thank you ❤❤❤❤ fir that video I really need someone more mature and senior to say this to me thanks for your advise I will give you my updated feedback after one week

[@Rudi45778]

Ok so I little bit forget about giving tge feedback but I remember it now I followed the rule al though I miss 2 days but never mind this thing does work let me take sleep I also read something about sleep like rem 1 rem 2 type of sleep and other thing like circadian rhythm like if we go into sun for just as little as 10 minute it does make us sleep early in night and I also try to follow an habit I read in an article that says wake up at an fix time no matter when you sleep so it will force your mind in night to sleep little bit early so our brain take full sleep thank you again for this video 🥰🥰🥰

[@alexrusin]

I noticed that writing tests helps me sleep better. The more you test, the better you sleep 😉

[@Jav202x]

I suffer of some of insomnia and depression, what works for me is working out at the gym heavy and cardio after at least 3 times a week, supplements magnesium, sinc, tongkat ali, centrum. Moving to another country the weather in Canada sucks, and blackout blinds, and last give zero fucks

[@alexrusin]

Another piece of advice from aforementioned Andrew Huberman is that not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep. If you wake up at 4:30am this maybe a sign that you need to go to bed a little bit earlier.

[@ItsAllGoodGames]

What about grounding, seems like its getting popular nowadays. Grounding your bed for sleep or going outside in grass or sand barefoot for half hour a day.

[@user-lk3bb7cx1j]

I'm in this exact place

[@HealthyDev]

Sorry to hear! Hope some of this helps.

[@geriatricprogrammer4364]

I sleep next to the terminal. That way I can wake up at 3am, login and work right through to 9am when I officially start work. I hate this job.

[@HealthyDev]

I hope you're kidding lol.

[@johnk7025]

For me it's more congestion (blocked nose) insomnia.

[@shellcatt]

13:10 - Sleep or Sex :D I fail to imagine how thoughts about sex would not try to get in the way of sleep just like thoughts about anything else non-sleep related.

[@Epic-so3ek]

How I did it: sleep Startups: controversial

[@juanmacias5922]

Cannabis *

[@rod5952]

Bro, you know why you have puffy eyes now? No it's not because you had problems with sleep 100500 years ago! It's because you right now eating to much carbohydrates. Yes, carbs. You talked so much about different shit like TV and sex and so on..., But didn't say yet about most important things: cut your carbs, (yes you said eat more protein, but how much?) eat at least 1.6 gram per kilogram of body mass of pure protein, drink coffee 2-3 cups but up to 2-3 p.m., and take Magnesium Glycinate/Taurate and may be GABA 30 minutes before sleep. Also stop eating at least 3-4 hours before bed, but 5-6 will be better, just eat earlier as possible. And you will sleep like a baby just after watching TV in bed! P.S. you pee at night not because of prostate but rather because of high insulin or Uric Acid, both - consequences of large amount carbs, and yes lifting of heavy weight will allow you to live longer and sleep better even without candles or yellow googles :D

[@HealthyDev]

Not sure if you just didn't watch the video, but I never talked about me watching TV or that I have an ex? Thanks for the feedback but I actually already mentioned most of these things. I'm really confused.

[@rod5952]

@@HealthyDev I meant I (you) can freely watch TV and and sleep well afterwards, yes, you did it, on the few last minutes after I wrote that comment and went into the bedroom to finish to listen you on TV :) Anyway - cut the curbs and you will be even more healthy than you are now! :D

[@rod5952]

@@HealthyDev SORRY! I meant SEX, not EX!