I seem to hear from a variety of people that they struggle to fall asleep at night; but the difficult to fall asleep sounds like an evolutionary downside. Even as hunter-gatherers, being able to sleep whenever and wherever sounds like it would be an advantage.
Is it a recent product of modern times and people didn’t actually struggle with it a while back? In which case, what of modern life is causing this? If not, what is the evolutionary advantage of not falling asleep easily?
I’d love to be able to sleep on command.
Usually I need to take a melatonin pill after tossing and turning before I get some sleep.
Melatonin is a lot stronger than a lot of folks realize.
Drugstores will sell you a 10mg melatonin tablet that utterly crushes your endogenous production.
0.5mg taken earlier in the night may be plenty for many people.
The idea that taking melatonin orally causes your body to stop producing it is a myth.
I’ve learned to fall asleep much faster as I’ve gotten older. I turn the tv off, put down my phone, get as comfortable as i can, and relax each body part for 3 breaths starting at my feet.
I tend to read e-books a bit to relax, but I read them from my phone and I think having the screen on causes sleeplessness. Vicious cycle!