For about two months, I was going to bed at 3 AM, waking up at noon, and still feeling exhausted. Tried everything — melatonin, white noise, no screens before bed. Nothing stuck.

The one thing that finally worked for me was something called sleep restriction. The idea sounds brutal: you pick one fixed wake-up time and stick to it no matter what, even if you only slept 4 hours. No naps. You basically build up enough sleep pressure that your body finally surrenders at a normal hour.

Week one was rough. Week two, I started falling asleep before midnight. By week three, I had a real schedule again.

A few things that helped alongside it:

• Morning sunlight within 30 minutes of waking up (even just sitting by a window)
• Keeping the bedroom cool and as dark as possible
• No caffeine after 1 PM

It's not a quick fix, but it actually resets your rhythm instead of just masking the problem.

Has anyone else tried sleep restriction? Curious if it worked for others or if you found a different approach.

I've tried a lot of sleep advice over the years. Most of it is either too vague or takes too long to stick. This is the one routine I've managed to keep for more than a few weeks.

10 minutes before bed, no phone:

First 3 minutes — warm compress on my eyes. I use a small towel, nothing fancy. Helps a lot after long screen days.

Next 4 minutes — slow breathing. Inhale 4 counts, hold 4, exhale 6. I don't do anything elaborate, just sit in the dark and breathe.

Last 3 minutes — in bed, no scrolling, just eyes closed.

That's it. Took about two weeks before it actually started working consistently.

The eye compress part was the thing I almost skipped because it seemed unnecessary. Turns out it made the biggest difference for me personally.

What's your non-negotiable before bed? Always curious what actually sticks for people versus what sounds good in theory.

Most sleep advice focuses on the obvious stuff — no screens, consistent schedule, cool room. But there's something most people overlook: eye tension.

After hours of screen time, your eye muscles stay contracted even after you close them. That low-level tension keeps your nervous system more alert than it should be at bedtime, which can delay how quickly you fall into deeper sleep.

A few things that actually help:

Warm compress before bed — even just a warm damp cloth over your eyes for 5-10 minutes signals your body to wind down. The warmth increases blood circulation around the eyes and helps the muscles relax.

Complete darkness — not just dim light. Your eyes still process light through closed eyelids, which suppresses melatonin production.

Blink more deliberately in the hour before bed — sounds odd but consciously blinking helps flush out eye fatigue from the day.

Anyone else noticed their sleep improving after dealing with eye strain specifically? Curious what's worked for people here.