Hey, I’m sorry you’re having a rough time, sleep disturbance can be brutal. I’ll cut to the chase and share a couple things that have helped me with sleep issues in the past. Feel free to have ChatGPT TL:DR this if I rambled on too long :)
Having a bedtime routine that is consistent and, in some way, special. For me, I move to the couch, take melatonin, have a snack, and read or watch a short video. (If I pick a video it’s a soft rule that it has to be short, something like 10 mins or less so that I won’t get sucked into the phone.) I don’t spend much time on that particular spot on the couch during the day, so it’s sort of like my “bedtime routine spot.” I also try to avoid eating my bedtime snack foods during the day, so that they are reserved for the bedtime routine. Trying to make the bedtime routine special in this way seems to really help me transition from being active mentally to winding down, and it helps me feel better about “having” to go to bed. (I never really *want *to go to bed, but I do want the comfort of the bedtime routine.)
I got into the habit of ending the day by writing down what I have going on the next day, and trying to write out any stray thought that seems to be rattling around. I do it digitally and will often only spend a couple minutes doing it. Even taking 30 seconds to type “tomorrow I have work and nothing else planned” seems to help.
Overall, the most noticeable improvement to my sleep has been from working on managing my anxiety with a therapist. This is super vague I know, and perhaps not very actionable. At times I felt as though I had my anxiety under control during the day, but at night it would ramp up. Taking extra steps to manage that anxiety a little bit during the day (even if it feels minor or unnecessary at the time) seems to help a lot. Curiously, when I asked my therapist for help with sleep specifically we didn’t seem to get anywhere, but working through anxiety and other issues with them helped much more.
It sounds like you have a good plan for some things to try. I’ve found I need to be a little more flexible with my routines, but I totally get that instinct to set a hard time for things. Also, I can totally relate with feeling the most productive/awake before bed, I have the same exact pattern with my energy. I often feel like I’m enjoying my day the most at that time and I always have to cut it short!
I hope things improve for you soon. My last parting thought: try not to beat yourself up when things aren’t going according to plan.
If you nudge the picture up or down it will close. Tapping outside does seem more intuitive though so I’d enjoy that functionality as well!