For the past year, I have rarely been able to fall asleep before 2 a.m. Recurring nighttime hives have not helped. It is difficult to rest when your skin is intensely itchy, and advice such as “just sleep earlier” can feel frustratingly simplistic.

My sleep difficulties led me to read more about sleep—not because I wanted to optimise every minute of it, but because I wanted to understand what was happening and what I could realistically try.

Here are some of the sleep concepts I have found most useful.

Sleep Debt: When Poor Sleep Adds Up

Sleep debt is the accumulated difference between the sleep we need and the sleep we get.

Research shows that repeated short nights can gradually affect attention, memory, mood and reaction time, even when we think we have adapted. In one influential study, participants did not fully recognise how impaired they had become as their sleep restriction continued (Van Dongen et al., 2003).

Sleeping longer over the weekend may offer some relief, but it may not completely reverse the effects of regularly sleeping too little (Depner et al., 2019).

What I take from this is that one very long sleep cannot necessarily repair an entire week. When possible, adding 30 to 60 minutes on several nights may be more helpful than waiting until the weekend to collapse.

Sleep Banking: Resting Before a Demanding Period

Sleep banking means getting additional sleep before an anticipated period of sleep loss.

Researchers found that participants who had more opportunity to sleep before a period of restricted sleep remained more alert and recovered faster afterwards (Rupp et al., 2009).

We cannot literally store sleep, but the idea is useful. If I know that I have several late nights, early mornings or demanding workdays ahead, I can try to enter that period rested instead of already running on empty.

Sleep Inertia: The Morning Fog

Sleep inertia is the groggy, disoriented feeling that sometimes follows waking. It may last a few minutes or longer, particularly when we are already sleep-deprived or wake from deeper sleep.

It can temporarily affect:

• Alertness
• Mood
• Memory
• Coordination
• Decision-making

Natural light, hydration, gentle movement and a little time may help. Understanding sleep inertia has also helped me stop judging the quality of my entire night based on how I feel during the first few minutes of the morning.

Circadian Misalignment: When the Body Clock Is Off

Our circadian rhythm helps regulate when we feel sleepy and awake. Light is one of its strongest signals: morning light tells the body that the day has begun, while bright light at night can delay melatonin production and make it harder to wind down (Gooley et al., 2011).

A few ways to support the body clock include:

• Getting natural light after waking
• Keeping waking times reasonably consistent
• Dimming the lights before bed
• Reducing stimulating screen use late at night
• Moving bedtime gradually rather than forcing a sudden change

I say “reasonably consistent” because bodies and lives are not machines. The aim is not a perfect schedule, only clearer signals where possible.

Sleep Bifurcation: Must Sleep Happen in One Block?

Sleep bifurcation, or segmented sleep, refers to dividing sleep into two periods rather than sleeping in one continuous block.

Historian A. Roger Ekirch found evidence that some people in pre-industrial societies experienced a “first sleep” and “second sleep,” with a period of wakefulness between them.

This historical evidence does not prove that segmented sleep is better, nor does it mean everyone should adopt a particular formula. I find it useful because it challenges the belief that healthy sleep must always be one perfectly uninterrupted block.

When I wake during the night, worrying that I have ruined my sleep usually makes me even more alert. Sometimes it is easier to accept that I am awake and allow sleep to return when it can.

Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: Reclaiming Personal Time

There are also nights when physical discomfort is not the issue. We may be tired but continue scrolling, reading or doing small tasks because nighttime feels like the only part of the day that belongs to us.

Researchers call this bedtime procrastination: going to bed later than intended despite having no external reason to remain awake (Kroese et al., 2014). “Revenge bedtime procrastination” is the popular term for delaying sleep to reclaim freedom after a demanding day.

It may help to ask:

• Is nighttime my only personal time?
• Have I had any genuine rest or enjoyment today?
• Am I reluctant to sleep because tomorrow already feels demanding?
• What am I getting from scrolling that I did not get earlier?

Sometimes we need a firmer stopping point at night. At other times, we need more breathing space during the day.

Optimal Napping: There Is No Perfect Number

You may have heard that naps should be either 20 or exactly 90 minutes. There is some logic behind this advice, but sleep cycles differ between people.

A short nap may improve alertness with less grogginess. A longer nap may be more restorative after significant sleep loss, although waking from deeper sleep can produce sleep inertia. Long or late naps may also interfere with nighttime sleep.

I prefer to treat naps as a practical tool rather than another rule I must follow perfectly. The useful question is: What do I need today, and what must I do after waking?

Chrononutrition: When We Eat Can Affect Sleep

Chrononutrition looks at how the timing of food interacts with the body’s circadian rhythm.

Large or heavy meals close to bedtime can make sleep more difficult for some people, especially when they cause digestive discomfort. Caffeine and alcohol can also affect sleep, even when they initially seem to help us stay alert or relax.

This does not mean everyone must stop eating at an arbitrary hour. It means paying attention to whether particular foods, drinks or meal times seem to affect the way we sleep.

Something That Has Helped Me Recently

For the last week (as of this writing), I have been taking MYND360 Night Time by Nu Skin approximately 30 minutes before bedtime. It contains magnesium, melatonin and saffron extract. I have found it easier to settle and fall asleep.

I have no financial interest in the product and am sharing only my personal experience. It may not work the same way for everyone. This is a nutritional supplement rather than a treatment for insomnia or another sleep disorder. Because it contains melatonin, anyone taking medication or managing a health condition may wish to check with a doctor or pharmacist first.

What night be Helpful

After a year of disrupted sleep, I do not expect one product or habit to resolve everything. For now, I am experimenting with a few manageable changes:

• Getting natural light after waking
• Keeping my waking time reasonably consistent
• Making more room for sleep before demanding periods
• Dimming the lights as bedtime approaches
• Using naps when they are genuinely helpful
• Noticing when late-night scrolling is really a need for personal time
• Paying attention to how meal timing affects my sleep
• Continuing to observe whether MYND360 Night Time helps beyond the first week

I am still learning what works for my body. Sleep science has not given me perfect sleep, but it has helped me understand my options and become less frustrated when sleep does not come as easily as I would like. Wishing you a restful sleep and sweet dreams.

References

Depner, C. M., Melanson, E. L., Eckel, R. H., Snell-Bergeon, J. K., Perreault, L., Bergman, B. C., Higgins, J. A., Guerin, M. K., Stothard, E. R., Morton, S. J., Wright, K. P., Jr., & Broussard, J. L. (2019). Ad libitum weekend recovery sleep fails to prevent metabolic dysregulation during a repeating pattern of insufficient sleep and weekend recovery sleep. Current Biology, 29(6), 957–967.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.069

Ekirch, A. R. (2001). Sleep we have lost: Pre-industrial slumber in the British Isles. The American Historical Review, 106(2), 343–386. https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/106.2.343

Gooley, J. J., Chamberlain, K., Smith, K. A., Khalsa, S. B. S., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Van Reen, E., Zeitzer, J. M., Czeisler, C. A., & Lockley, S. W. (2011). Exposure to room light before bedtime suppresses melatonin onset and shortens melatonin duration in humans. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 96(3), E463–E472. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-2098

Hilditch, C. J., & McHill, A. W. (2019). Sleep inertia: Current insights. Nature and Science of Sleep, 11, 155–165. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S188911

Kroese, F. M., De Ridder, D. T. D., Evers, C., & Adriaanse, M. A. (2014). Bedtime procrastination: Introducing a new area of procrastination. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, Article 611. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00611

Rupp, T. L., Wesensten, N. J., Bliese, P. D., & Balkin, T. J. (2009). Banking sleep: Realization of benefits during subsequent sleep restriction and recovery. Sleep, 32(3), 311–321. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/32.3.311

Van Dongen, H. P. A., Maislin, G., Mullington, J. M., & Dinges, D. F. (2003). The cumulative cost of additional wakefulness: Dose-response effects on neurobehavioral functions and sleep physiology from chronic sleep restriction and total sleep deprivation. Sleep, 26(2), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/26.2.117

About Dr. Martha Tara Lee