Reflections from an Insomniac

Translated from the Chinese version by ChatGPT, revised by myself.

This article is based on my personal experience. Chapters are arranged roughly in order of importance.

TL;DR

The single most effective way I’ve found to prevent insomnia is: don’t bring your phone or tablet home.

Phones, Tablets, and Other Screens

Many people habitually check their phones before bed, whether chatting, watching videos, or browsing the news. Research shows that the blue light from screens suppresses melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep.

But the bigger problem, in my experience, is this: when you don’t fall asleep right away, your mind starts whispering, “Am I having insomnia? Should I check my phone?”
This thought is the real culprit. Whether you give in or resist it, it disrupts your sleep.

For me, both scrolling to have fun and using the phone to help me sleep make it even harder to fall asleep. Scrolling often makes me more awake; even if I put the phone down intending to sleep, a few minutes of wakefulness later I can’t resist picking it up again. Using the phone as a sleep aid—playing soft music or comedy tracks—can backfire too: if it doesn’t work within ten minutes, I get anxious and end up switching between different methods, still unable to sleep. On the other hand, resisting the urge entirely leaves the thought lingering in my head, making it just as hard to sleep.

Eventually, I started locking my phone in the lab. Once the phone is completely out of reach, I no longer have these thoughts at home. And because there’s nothing to do with my phone, I usually don’t stay at home long—either I go out or continue working in the lab. I recommended this method to two friends who occasionally have sleep problems, and they found it very effective as well.

Pre-Bedtime Routine

The two to three hours before bed are crucial. Try to give yourself a full stop at the end of the day, rather than leaving questions, unfinished thoughts, or emotional outbursts:

  • Wrap up the day’s tasks and stop working; don’t start anything new.
  • Don’t leave unresolved issues, especially urgent or stressful ones.
  • Avoid strong emotional swings, such as online arguments or losing a game.

Keeping your mind calm and free of distractions is an essential foundation for good sleep.

Reading

Reading before bed generally helps with sleep. I keep both physical books and a Kindle at home. After coming home, I wash up and read a physical book at my desk for a while. Once in bed, I sometimes continue reading something else on the Kindle.

Choosing the right book is very important. Overly dramatic stories can be too emotionally engaging, while dense, difficult material keeps your mind active. A few examples from my experience: reading Eileen Chang’s The Golden Cangue left me too emotionally drained to sleep, while The Three-Body Problem was so gripping I couldn’t stop thinking about the plot. I’ve also tried reading The Social Contract, which requires more mental effort to understand, making sleep more difficult. On the other hand, Tolstoy’s War and Peace or Anna Karenina are easier to follow, and most chapters progress slowly enough not to overstimulate my emotions.

Sleep Timing

Maintaining a regular schedule generally makes falling asleep easier, and there seems to be an optimal bedtime. For me, if I get home around 10:30 PM, wash up, and read a bit before getting into bed around 11:00 PM, I can usually fall asleep before midnight. But if I come home an hour later, I often don’t fall asleep until after 1:00 AM, yet still naturally wake between 7:00 and 8:00 AM. Once I wake up, it’s very hard to go back to sleep, so I often end up with just over six hours of sleep.

Exercise

When I first started having insomnia, I tried exercising to improve sleep, but the effect was limited. However, once I stopped bringing my phone home, exercise could actually help. For me, excessive exercise can slightly interfere with sleep; for example, playing badminton or tennis for two hours after 8 PM sometimes makes my body too energized to fall asleep quickly. Light exercise, on the other hand, helps. Running 3 km in the evening at a pace of 5.5–6 min/km usually lets me fall asleep more easily.

Melatonin

I’ve relied on melatonin before. It works and isn’t addictive, but long-term use can lead to tolerance, reducing its effectiveness, and it may make you feel groggy the next day. Therefore, I only use it occasionally, when I need enough sleep for an important day, rather than as a long-term solution.

In the end, I hope everyone can get a good night’s sleep.