The night feels longest when you’re awake alone. You’re not the only one awake, though.

Nights are harder because everything narrows. The distractions are gone, nobody is awake to answer, and difficulty that was manageable at noon becomes the only thing in the room. Loneliness at that hour is not a sign that something is wrong with you, and the second half of the line is simply factual: a great many people are lying awake at the same time.

Make the night smaller rather than trying to solve it. Light, water, something dull to read, a message you can send in the morning. Tell someone in daylight that the nights have been long.