The document describes a problem where the author's boyfriend likes to stay up late at night typing loudly on his keyboard and computer monitors, which disturbs the author's sleep. Some suggested solutions include using earplugs, eye masks or headphones to block out light and sound, distracting or tiring oneself to fall asleep, asking the boyfriend to change his behavior, or coping strategies like adjusting one's own sleep schedule or location.

1. Problem My boyfriend likes to stay up late at night, like 2am, typing on a noisy keyboard with bright
sleeping monitors in our one bedroom loft.
(The bedroom doesn’t have a door, just a divider between it and the kitchen. The bed and
the desk are close to kitty corner, so a lot of light comes into the bedroom.)
I like to go to bed at 10:30pm and then I frequently wake up at 3:30am (not by choice) and
work til about 6am. Then I go back to bed and wake up to go to my workplace at around
8am. He gets up at the same time. Mostly, we do pretty well with our unaligned sleeping
schedules, however he sleeps more heavily than I do and goes back to sleep more easily. I
fall asleep easily, under good conditions: quiet, dark, warm blankets, cooler air. When he
works late, I get the last two conditions, but unfortunately, it's much much easier to fall
asleep with all four of them....
Some Block the sound/light
solutions • use ear plugs
• pull blankets over head
• use headphones (music)
• get a screen to block the light
• wear a knit cap that covers eyes and ears
• sound cancelling headphones
• use eye cover
• use white noise machine
• listen to soft background nature sounds on replay
• listen to foreign language cds
Knock myself out
• have a cocktail
• read a novel
• take a bath to get really hot to help you pass out
• get a body pillow
• do sit-ups
• drink herbal tea
• drink warm brandy
• read comic books
• read history
• read a long historical fiction
• take sleeping pills
• overeat
• light an aromatic candle
• turn the heat up high
• use more blankets
• tell myself a story
• mentally release tension in every part of your body
• regulate breathing pattern to even and slow
• put finger on pulse and try to relax
• turn faucet on slow drip
• eat comfort food
• do 30 squats
• drink hot chocolate

2. • get boyfriend to snuggle you til you fall asleep
• imagine a long conversation with the most boring, longwinded person you know
• make sure every body part except your face is smothered in fleece
• try to recite a poem, or song you’ve memorized
• design art pieces in your head
• think of a long speech you’d give someone you’re mad at
• imagine progressively more outlandish ensembles
• imagine a face and change one feature at a time endlessly
• start with one fairytale and change it into another one endlessly
• eat a whole bunch of meat
• watch nature videos
• count dots on the ceiling
• close eyes and imagine ambient light getting darker and darker
• recite what I remember of Leviticus
• do long division problems in my head
• read BBC news on my phone
• look at everyone’s cat pics on facebook
• force yourself to just lay there
• turn the temperature down
• count toes endlessly
• rock back and forth and murmur
• bedroom action
• get a massage
• drink way way too much
• eat turkey
• research Chinese herbal remedies
• borrow somebody’s cat or dog to snuggle
• visualize a long set of dance moves
• try to name all the states in alphabetical order
• play a recording of a crackling fire on loop
• play a cheesy Christmas song on loop
• try to recall as much detail as you can about the most boring book you’ve ever read
• imagine, with as much detail as possible, a day in the life of one professional after
another
• try to recall ever y item on the menu at the restaurant you like best that also has a
massive menu
• try to remember the names, faces, and personalities of as many of your grade school
classmates as possible
• Imagine you are opening your own restaurant and can have an endless menu. List
what’s on it.
• List all the books you’ve ever read
• watch TED talks
• watch a movie on my phone
• read Kindle on my phone
• go for a run
• tap right 4th finger endlessly

3. • envision every task and detail of cleaning the house
• use a soft night light
• List all the books you want to read
• List every spice you can think of
• Try to envision and name of constellation
• Name as many colors as you can
(we’re talking the 128 crayon box)
• Envision as many textures as you can
• Remember the latin names for all bones, then muscles that you can
• Name all the flowers that you can
• Name all the fruits that you can
• Name all the vegetables that you can
• Name all the animals that you can
• Name of all the fictional and fantasy creatures that you can
• Name all of the mythological characters that you can
• Think of the many ways you can cook or bake an egg, including as an ingredient
• Think of all the breeds of dogs
• Think of all the types of birdsongs you can remember
• Remember the names and tunes of as many songs as you can
Distract myself
• draw
• write in a journal
• record ideas into phone voice recorder
• write cards to friends
• knit
• meditate
• do homework
Circumvent
• nap when I get home so I can stay up and still get enough sleep
• ask boyfriend to use his laptop
• exercise in the morning
• get over the taste of coffee
• take stimulants during the day
Escape
• turn the tub into a bed
• sleep on stomach
• sleep facing opposite wall
• sleep on the couch in the room where’s he’s working so he doesn’t wake me when he
comes to bed
Cope
• just get used to it
• sleep behind the couch where it’s darker