⏩ What's Next?

If You Succeed

Congrats!

Don’t Get Complacent: If you succeed, resist the urge to celebrate by taking it easy. I know it’s tough, but slipping back can happen in many ways, like thinking, "I worked hard yesterday, I’ll take a pill tonight," or "I’m so tired, I’ll sleep in tomorrow." Remember my art teacher who finally slept well due to extreme exhaustion, only to sleep in the next day and end up with no sleepiness at night, starting the cycle of insomnia all over again.
Remember This Feeling: Keep the feeling of "I can fall asleep without sleeping pills" firmly in mind. This successful experience can outweigh numerous times of frustration from relying on sleeping pills.
Build on Your Success: In the following days, deliberately stay sleepy. Knowing that you’re gradually taking control of your life will help mitigate the negative impact of this tiredness.
Stick to a Regular Wake-Up Time: You can gradually shift your bedtime earlier (but not before 9 p.m.), but keep your wake-up time consistent.
After a Month: If you’ve established a regular sleep pattern, you can take short naps to manage daytime sleepiness. However, do not nap for more than 30 minutes. You can sit and lean back on a couch, but avoid lying down as it may lead to deep, prolonged sleep and reduce your accumulated sleepiness.

Failure is also a part of the journey. I invite you to analyze your sleep this time compared to before:

Did You Feel More Sleepy?
Did You Stay Awake All Night, or Did You Doze Off for a While?
Compared to Previous Attempts Without Sleeping Pills: Did your sleep duration, sleep quality, or how you felt upon waking improve in any way?

Even if only one aspect improved, you can continue trying to find the best sleepiness accumulation rhythm that works for you.