I am fascinated that so many people do this. I always thought I had discovered a little cheat code to sleep. I try to solve impossible technical problems (eg d

I am fascinated that so many people do this. I always thought I had discovered a little cheat code to sleep. I try to solve impossible technical problems (eg designing a perpetual motion machine, walk on water, space propulsion system to put humanity in Alpha Centauri.) I figure that if I don't fall asleep, I may just make some major breakthrough so it's worth it! The other approach I take is to listen to a podcast that has an even emotional flow (99% invisible is a great one). The common thread in all these approaches is that they help me stop thinking about the real issues in my life. It's easy to run a groove in your mind thinking about some very real problem you're dealing with and that makes it hard to fall asleep.