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Re:Counterintuitive things that helped me fix my insomnia by ebg13 on Thursday March 19, 2020 @12:16PM (#22628907)
Assumptions are common, you're right.

I assume that people won't tell you to drink less coffee if you say something specific to your circumstance like "nerve discomfort keeps me awake at night" rather than something vague like "I have trouble sleeping".

Re:Counterintuitive things that helped me fix my insomnia by jamesrcole on Thursday March 19, 2020 @12:32PM (#22629080)
How is “I have trouble sleeping” vague? It’s quite precise and clear.

The _why_ of the sleep problems is separate from the _fact_ of it.

Whether the _why_ is suitable to mention is totally context-dependent. In some situations it would make sense to mention the why. In others it would be weird and going into too much detail.

And it’s not just nerve discomfort. It’s muscular and there’s all sorts of details that are not easy to describe if I want to actually explain what it is.

Finally, you’re assuming that mentioning the reasons would somehow mean people wouldn’t then make assumptions, and this is false. If I mentioned the why they’re likely to assume (I know this from experience) irrelevant causes/cures to do with pain (much of the problem is very different to pain), pillows, mattresses, yoga, etc.

I have also found that it does not matter what you tell people the causes are, many will not let go of the idea that the sleep problems must actually be the result of psychological causes, due to being unable to relax, a restless mind, poor sleep hygiene, etc.

Re:Counterintuitive things that helped me fix my insomnia by codingdave on Thursday March 19, 2020 @01:01PM (#22629370)
The specific details of anyone's medical condition typically isn't anyone's business, nor do they really want to hear it. "I had trouble sleeping last night" is a perfectly acceptable way to describe the impact of a medical condition without getting TMI with people to whom you are not close.
Re:Counterintuitive things that helped me fix my insomnia by FalconSensei on Thursday March 19, 2020 @01:07PM (#22629435)
Then just don't mention you have trouble sleeping, as it's not their business, right?
Re:Counterintuitive things that helped me fix my insomnia by codingdave on Thursday March 19, 2020 @01:11PM (#22629487)
It is 100% my team's business if my performance is suffering in my job due to my lack of sleep. It just isn't their business the gruesome medical details behind it.
Re:Counterintuitive things that helped me fix my insomnia by ebg13 on Thursday March 19, 2020 @01:27PM (#22629639)
> It is 100% my team's business if my performance is suffering in my job due to my lack of sleep.

It's actually not. It's 100% your team's business that you're underperforming, period, but any reason you give is on your dime. Since you're giving reasons, it is in your personal best interest to communicate to your team a need for reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act even if you don't describe to them the details of your condition.