I have the power to conjure energy, intense concentration, motivation, all-nighters, etc all on my own. I call it: stress+goals+pride+enjoyment+intelligence. Sometimes it's a great asset and sometimes it runs me into the ground. In my experience a lot of people are like this (programmers, parents, executives, creatives, lawyers, etc) and we all find our own ways to cope. For me it was a realization of my own body and mind (and that I'm normal) and not buying into someone's diagnosis or someone else's coping strategy.
One of the most reassuring pieces of advice I had during sleepless nights in high school was from an adult who told me he can't sleep a lot and instead of tossing and turning he seizes the moment and works, since that's what he's thinking about anyway. I'm not saying this is healthy advice, I'm saying that he helped me feel normal by letting me in on his coping strategy. Others will tell you they drink tea, or workout, or avoid sugar or caffeine. They all work--for them--and we should take everyone's advice with a grain of salt because we all have very different minds/bodies/lives. I guess the author here found a coping strategy that happened not to work for her, so thank you for sharing.
I'll share my strategy: I take trazodone occasionally as needed to sleep. I let myself get all worked up and be very productive for as long as I think it's healthy for me. Eventually I get on a weird cycle and this corrects it for me. There are all sorts of other things I do but there are so many variables in life, and this is the only one I view as relevant. And who knows, in a few years I might have to try a new strategy.
Everyone's weird and bizarre and has problems. We should stop stigmatizing illness, eccentricities, addiction, medication and start realizing that we're all different and have the potential to be healthy if we find what works for us. Also don't always try to find the root cause and be pragmatic more often.
Also, I should add that I share these details sort of like people do when they admit they're gay. It's not without risk, but I hope someone reading this is helped. And if you think I'm being overly dramatic, this does not apply to you then, because I'm being way underly dramatic.