As a lot of you may have done/be doing the insight (or other practice) - thing while holding down various responsibilities (such as jobs, care of families, and the like), I thought this would be a good place to ask this question. Did a quick search and it seems like it has not been asked before. The question is: how do you deal with the sleep and energy changes commonly encountered in while conducting a regular daily practice? (right now, it's just 'get some caffeine in, take it easy for a day, try to nap)

Stuff relevant to me: doing a half hour of kasina practice before bed, starts really pick off into strong hard jhanic stuff for one reason or another, resultant afterglow feels great but is in no way conducive to sleeping. full day of studies/work in less than 9 hours. nothing sensible to do but lie down, close my eyes, and relax into it for an hour or two more. if I'm fortunate I fall asleep practicing, if not, well, here i am.

Feel free to add your own examples.
A&P, Eq, and dhukka stuff come to mind.
PCE-type stuff (which I can't confirm I've experienced...but I feel I'm getting close) also seems to lessen the need for sleep.

A side question is: Do any of you, after not sleeping or sleeping very little as a result of a night-time meditation thing, not feel tired and just get back into your normal routine? Details would be welcome. By 4-6pm or whatever time my body clock is at its circadian 'dip' in energy, I always feel it. I don't think this is abnormal, but may have read things suggesting otherwise...again all this is off-retreat.

The best advice here is common sense: prioritize self care. As a Zen abbot once said to me about late practice on retreat, "the goal is not to stay up late and get strung-out." Keep an eye on your limits, take care of your body. If you end up wound-up and tired-out remedy the situation the next day or whenever. Take naps, maybe skip your evening sitting if you didn't sleep the night before, take a bath and relax (or whatever) so you will sleep well. I'm not talking about being self-indulgent. Take care of your body-mind, it's all you have.

Easy on the caffeine--it not only amplifies manic A&P energy, it's also is a form of resisting experience.

That said, stay present through the fatigue and notice that (especially in meditation) fatigue and sleepiness are known with great clarity. Also consider that in meditation you're not too sleepy to meditate unless you're actually falling asleep, and even then, it's valuable sometimes to stay present through that repeated dropping off.

My own sleep was never very good, consistent or predictable before getting serious about practice. Practice, and cycles of practice have made it worse. Oftentimes I'm sailing through days at a time with 3 hours sleep and no idea how that's possible. This doesn't necessarily coincide with A&P energy, though it often does.

Regards,
bf