I spent years suffering from really bad insomnia, particularly as a student.
It was horrible. You have not known loneliness if you haven't lain awake, night after night, sweating, dreaming of sleep, getting up again and again and again to try and convince your body it wants to go to bed. Watching the sun rise can be beautiful, but not under the circumstances of a) having been at work for two hours already or b) having seen it set recently without any sleep in-between. It is utterly isolating, and you find yourself spending night after night alternately masturbating then watching air disaster footage on YouTube.
Aside from the isolation, the physical and mental side effects of sleeping too little are numerous and unpleasant, paranoia, depression, and chronic fatigue being just a few. My lifestyle was not conducive to sleeping well at uni; I did English Lit and in my final year it was all research and writing my thesis, so I spent most of my time sitting in bed writing and reading. Living alone, having depression, being isolated from people was like one of those far side cartoons with the caption "Trouble brewing".
After years of suffering, sometimes for weeks at a time, I managed to cure my insomnia. It took a couple of years of trying stuff out, making radical life changes and reading a lot about it on the Internet, but I got there, and here are the things that worked for me:
1. Sort your bedroom out. It should be the calmest place you can imagine, no technology, no work, no distractions. Just for sleeping and sex. Invest in amazing bedding and good lighting. Think of it as your personal retreat. Don't spend all day in there. Make sure it's dark enough, cool enough, warm enough, smells good, looks good.
2. Stick to the tightest sleep routine you can. Get up at the same time every morning and go to bed at the same time every night. Don't nap during the day. Be strict. Be ruthless.
3. Dont drink caffeine after midday. And don't drink alcohol at all until your sleep is sorted. Sorry. Wine doesn't help. I swear by Clipper Sleep Tea before bed. It tastes yummy and makes me really sleepy.
4. Do exercise during the day (but not just before bed.) The problem with a non physical job/course is that it leaves your brain but not your body exhausted at the end of the day. Exercise will take care of that. It also combats stress and depression which is good news for everyone.
5. At the end of every day make a list of whatever's on your mind - whether it's things you have to do, things you're worried about, etc - as this will help convince your unconscious mind that it's ok to sleep now.
6. Learn to meditate. Five minutes of this before bed will work wonders - sit cross legged on your bed, close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply. Concentrate on your breath going in and out. Everytime your mind wanders, consciously pull your thoughts back to your breathing again. It gets easier the more you do it and relaxes you wonderfully.
7. If there are noise distractions where you sleep, like the neighbours, a road, the dog, you could try earplugs if you like total silence. I like listening to the sound of the rain or wind or the sea so I got some apps that play nature sounds. Naturespace and Sleep Machine are the best. Whatever works for you.
8. I find it helpful to have my surroundings as tidy as possible. I'm not naturally tidy but I have noticed that when the washing up is done and my house is ordered, sleep comes much easier.
9. I'm not an advocate of chemically induced sleep (not that I'm the fount of all knowledge obviously) so I've not used sleeping pills and people I know who have don't recommend them. What I did find quite useful was Bach's sleep remedy which you can buy in Boots for about a tenner. I dunno if it just works as a placebo but it helped me, and anyway it tastes like flowers.
10. And finally, if your sleep starts to slip again, come back to the list.
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