Why Can't I?Reviewed: 2025-12-28~1 min

Why can’t I sleep at night in a street-facing studio above a restaurant when I need a 10 p.m. bedtime for 6 a.m. shifts?

Short answer

⚠️Depends / use caution

It depends: your trouble sleeping looks driven by evening light, heat, noise, and late caffeine—plus a schedule that needs an earlier body clock—rather than a fixed “chronic insomnia.”

Why people ask this

You’re in a street-facing studio above a late-night restaurant with delivery trucks, trying to sleep by 10 p.m. for a 6 a.m. warehouse shift. At 10:30 p.m. the room is ~78°F, a 4100K LED streetlight leaks through thin blinds, and you had ~200 mg caffeine at 4:30 p.m. with the window open for ventilation. That mix can delay your body clock, fragment sleep with noise, and make you feel wired, leading people to self-medicate with alcohol or melatonin and still wake drowsy before dawn.

When it might be safe

Shifting caffeine to the morning and avoiding it later in the day to reduce 10 p.m. alertness
Blocking evening light with blackout curtains or a sleep mask to counter the 4100K streetlight
Using steady background sound (fan or white-noise machine) to mask restaurant and delivery-truck noise
Morning bright light after waking to help move your body clock earlier while dimming screens and room lights after dusk
Cooling the sleep area (fan across ice, breathable bedding, moving the bed away from the hot window) if you lack AC

When it is not safe

Nodding off at the wheel or microsleeps during the pre-dawn commute—pull over and do not drive drowsy; seek urgent help if this continues
Regular loud snoring, choking or gasping during sleep, or waking unrefreshed despite enough time in bed—talk to a clinician
Using alcohol to “knock yourself out,” escalating melatonin, or mixing sedatives to counter 78°F heat, 4100K light, and street noise
Near-misses, injuries, or major errors at your 6 a.m. warehouse shift due to sleepiness
Insomnia most nights for 3 months or more despite reducing evening light, noise, heat, and late caffeine

Possible risks

Evening stimulation (4:30 p.m. ~200 mg caffeine, bright 4100K light through thin blinds, street/restaurant noise) pushes your body clock later
Open-window noise from delivery trucks fragments sleep and reduces deep sleep
Heat around 78°F at bedtime increases awakenings and makes it harder to fall asleep by 10 p.m.
Self-medicating with alcohol or excessive melatonin can worsen sleep quality and morning alertness
Sleep restriction raises pre-dawn driving risk and mistakes at work

Safer alternatives

Light control: blackout curtains or window inserts, opaque film, and a comfortable sleep mask; keep lights warm/dim after sunset and get bright morning light soon after waking
Noise control: silicone earplugs, white-noise or fan, heavy curtains/rugs, and simple window/door weatherstripping to blunt restaurant and truck sounds
Cooling: cross-ventilate earlier in the evening, use a fan pointed away from you for airflow, breathable sheets, and relocate the bed from the hot window wall
Routine: consistent wake time (even on days off), wind-down without bright screens, and avoid late-day caffeine so 10 p.m. feels sleepy
Safety: if you feel sleepy before driving, delay departure, carpool or rideshare, or take a brief roadside rest before continuing

Bottom line

Your situation points to fixable culprits—late caffeine, bright 4100K streetlight, heat, and street/restaurant noise—plus a body clock that needs shifting earlier. Tackle light, noise, and heat in the evening, move caffeine earlier, get bright light after waking, and prioritize commute safety. Seek care if you have drowsy driving, loud snoring/gasping, or persistent insomnia.