Some people with insomnia think they're awake when they're asleep

Accessing the Article / Paywall Workarounds

• Some readers hit a Scientific American paywall; others could read it freely depending on region.
• Multiple people shared archive links and the trick of prepending the URL with archive.is.

Subjective vs Objective Sleep

• Many report nights where they are “sure” they were awake most of the time, yet devices or partners indicate they slept or snored.
• Several describe “half-asleep” states: thoughts racing, surreal or dreamlike thinking while feeling awake, and large time gaps suggesting sleep occurred.
• Some explicitly recall dreaming that they were lying awake and only realize it later via dream content or changed body position.

Self-Tracking and Devices

• One user uses an Angel Care sensor pad plus DIY data logging (motion/breath-based) to visualize nights that feel sleepless but show long low-motion periods.
• Others use smartwatches or 24-hour blood pressure monitoring and were surprised to see normal sleep patterns despite feeling awake.
• Some distrust wearables, noting they can misclassify “lying still but awake” as sleep.

Sleep Disorders and Interventions

• Recurrent theme: snoring + feeling unrested → suggestions to check for sleep apnea or broader “sleep-disordered breathing.”
• Discussion of CPAP: transformative for some, but access and DRM/Rx constraints are a barrier in the US.
• Cheap experiments recommended: nasal dilators, nasal strips, air purifiers, pulse oximeters.
• Sleep restriction therapy is repeatedly endorsed as highly effective for chronic insomnia, though described as brutal at first.

Substances: CBD, Melatonin, Marijuana

• One commenter reports major benefit from ~1.25 mg CBD before bed; others are highly skeptical, calling the dose too low and likely placebo.
• Counterpoint: sensitivity to cannabinoids varies widely; some feel strong effects from very small doses.
• Melatonin’s impact on sleep quality is debated; some see benefit, others not.
• Marijuana is described by several as ultimately harmful to sleep architecture or anxiety, even if it initially seems to help.

Altered Sleep States and Parasomnias

• Many accounts of lucid dreaming, hypnagogia, sleep paralysis, and “mind awake, body asleep.”
• Numerous stories of complex behaviors while apparently asleep (talking, turning off alarms, even sex), with no memory afterward.
• ICU and clinical anecdotes reinforce the idea that “everyone sleeps,” even when they feel they haven’t.