Insomnia is a condition that I experience as either difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently. The next day, I feel tired and drained after nights like that.

After countless nights spent tossing around, I decided to consult an expert.

Jade Wu is a behavioral sleep medicine specialist at Mattress Firm and a sleep advisor. She led me through a sleep consultation for an hour to help me find the cause of my insomnia.

The exam covered average bedtimes, light exposure, and what to do if you wake up late at night.

Here are some gems we learned from our conversation about sleep.

Three things I learned during a consultation on sleep for insomnia

1.Sleeping at night is easier when you are asleep-drive'.

When I work from home, my wake-up time is often 8 a.m. instead of 6:45 a.m. on days when I'm in the office.

We're often told that keeping the same wake-up and bedtime is essential, but the idea of a sleep drive explains why this is so crucial.

"We have an internal sleep drive similar to your desire for sleep. Wu says that being awake increases your desire to sleep.

If you stay awake long enough during the day, you will accumulate sleep drive points like piggy banks. Hopefully, you have saved enough by the time you go to bed.

She says that on days when she works from home and has an 8 a.m. wake-up time, she would need more sleep drive points to go to bed by 10:45 p.m. the night before for her early start the following day.

Wu continues, "I can see that you are having difficulty falling asleep after a few days like this."

2.Blue light is necessary for good sleep at night.

Blue light exposure and its effects on sleep and eyesight have been extensively discussed in recent years. Blue light-blocking glasses are becoming increasingly popular.

Wu recommends wearing such glasses in the evening because blue light exposure too close to sleep can affect your sleep. This is particularly true if your skin lacks sunlight throughout the day.

Wu says that wearing blue-light glasses all day may not be necessary for many people and can interfere with sleep.

She says, "We actually want blue light to be on during the day." Our brains can tell if it's time to sleep or wake up by the amount of light coming into our eyes. This is especially true for blue lights, which have shorter wavelengths. We need our brains to tell that it is daytime when awake.

Wu says that if your optometrist recommends blue-lighting glasses to protect your vision, "absolutely follow their advice."

3.Get out of bed if you are having trouble sleeping.

Wu says that while it's frustrating to sleep less than you would like, forcing yourself to sleep will make it worse.

She says, "The more we sleep, the less sleep we get."

Instead of placing pressure on yourself if you feel wide awake and you know that you won't be able to fall back asleep anytime soon, get up and enjoy something. Consider it your "me time."

Wu says you will get under eight hours of sleep every night. That's fine. Wu suggests that you use the time when you cannot fall asleep to read a few chapters of a book you have wanted to.

Jade WuBEHAVIORAL SLEEP MEDICINE SPECIALIST FOR MATTRESS FIRMS AND SLEEP ADVISOR

Wu says, "Treat sleep as a friend so that you make time for it and give it priority." You won't become rigid, but friendships must also be flexible.

We want to be flexible in our relationship with sleep. We advise you to leave if you wake up in the middle of the night and are having trouble falling back asleep. "Forcing your friend into a hangout is not going to work. It will only push them away."