In last week's #SystemCheckSunday, SOP of the Morning to You, I detailed the precise sequence of events I use to boot up my operating system for the day. But any IT professional knows that a successful boot-up depends entirely on how the system was shut down the night before.
If you hard-crash a server - just yanking the power cord - you risk data corruption. Yet, this is exactly how most of us treat sleep. We run our brains at 100% CPU usage, staring into blue-light emitting screens until the moment we collapse, and then wonder why we lie awake with "racing thoughts."
For the ADHD brain specifically, the transition from "On" to "Off" does not happen automatically. It requires a manual shutdown sequence.
Here is my Evening Shutdown Protocol (ESP), executed in the last 60 minutes of the day.
Phase 1: The Blue Light Firewall (T-Minus 60 Minutes)
At one hour before target sleep time, the "Digital Sunset" begins. Biologically, the presence of blue light (from phones, TVs, and monitors) signals the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain that it is still noon. This halts the production of melatonin, the hormone required for sleep onset.
The Action: I engage "Night Shift" modes on all devices to warm the color temperature, but ideally, I step away from the screens entirely.
The Logic: You cannot expect the machine to cool down if you are still feeding it high-voltage input.
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| The process of doing this is slightly different between devices, of course. |
Phase 2: The RAM Dump (T-Minus 30 Minutes)
This is the most critical step for anyone with anxiety or Executive Function challenges. When I try to sleep, my brain often loops on open tasks: "Did I email that compliance report? What do I need to prep for the audit? Did I thaw the ground beef?" My brain refuses to sleep because it is afraid it will forget this "data". It is holding these tasks in my brain's "RAM" (Working Memory).
The Action: The Brain Dump.
The Tool: A physical notepad (analog only—no phones).
The Process: I write down everything that is currently open in my head. Every worry, every to-do item, every random idea.
The Result: Once it is written down, my brain realizes the data is "saved to the hard drive." It grants permission to flush the RAM. The anxiety loop breaks because the risk of forgetting is removed.
Phase 3: Thermal Management (T-Minus 15 Minutes)
Your core body temperature must drop by approximately 1°C to initiate sleep. If your environment is too warm, your body has to work to shed heat, keeping your heart rate elevated.
The Action: I drop the thermostat. I aim for a room temperature of roughly 18°C (65°F).
The Logic: I want the environment to facilitate the biological necessity of cooling. It is much easier to warm up under a heavy duvet (which adds the comfort of weight) than it is to cool down in a hot room.
Phase 4: The System Halt (Zero Hour)
By the time my head hits the pillow, the lights have been dim for an hour, the room is cool, and my to-do list is safely recorded on paper. There is no "trying" to sleep. The environment has been engineered so that sleep is the inevitable outcome.
The Takeaway
Sleep is not a switch you flip; it is a process you initiate. If you are struggling with insomnia or "tired but wired" syndrome, stop looking for a better mattress and start looking at your shutdown sequence. You wouldn't close a laptop with 50 tabs open and unsaved documents; stop doing it to your brain.
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