my recovery clearly isn't the same as when i was 25 or even 30. i am 37 now and if i don't get much sleep, meaning 8 hours a night, plus working out a little bit too much, i reach a point of chronic fatigue pretty quickly.
10 years ago i could work, workout after that, drink till 3 a.m., sleep 4 hours and be back on the truck with almost no problems. i burned the candle on both sides for some years and this takes it's toll a little later, i guess.
i never was a good sleeper anyway. i just read of a guy who improved his sleep via melantonin which is in a lot of food like cranberries, pistachios or dried tomatos. i will try a little bit of that...