It turns out they were right. The whole time. Assholes. I’ve been doing a pretty consistent midnight to 9-9:30 for a couple of months, no screens in my bedroom, just a nightly podcast. And I’m usually asleep inside half an hour. Sometimes well inside. I still sometimes wake up during the night but that’s mainly cos of painful crampy legs from working on my feet all day.
I regret to report that sleep hygiene is in fact a thing.
I'm in the habit of taking my dog for a second walk before bed. I turn my computer off before we go and listen to a podcast during it, usually takes a little over an hour. The combination of feeling relived to lay down and walking around in the actual moonlight knocks me right the fuck out, usually sleep 12-830ish.