I often find myself counting CD4s instead of sheep—kept up by viral load blips or other HIV anxieties. Some 100 million sleepless Americans toss and turn with me.

To return to the land of nod, I have a trick up my pajama sleeve: I make my bed a stress-free zone. I get out of bed and stand there until I map a plan to tackle the worry.I do it even on cold nights, staring at my warm bed to speed the process. Then, calmer, I burrow back in and snooze like a babe.    

—Michael Delane, San Francisco