Read somewhere that lettuce roots actually spread wider than the leaves do, so a 10 inch pot only has room for a couple plants no matter how small they look on top. That explains why yours bolted so fast, they were starving each other for water and food in that little space. I heard the bolt thing happens quicker when the roots hit the pot wall too, so crowding just speeds up the whole sad process. Eating the thinnings is smart because those little leaves are mild and you get something out of the deal. Gonna try 3 plants in my pot this time and see if the heads actually fill out.

Judge bad movies by how fast the clock moves, not by how many lines you can quote along with.

The 20 minute thing lines up with something I keep seeing, which is that people treat naps like a light switch when they are really more like a dial. My uncle swears by 90 minute naps because he says you get a full cycle and wake up at the right point, and your 45 minute one probably landed you right in the middle of deep sleep, which is the worst spot to get pulled out of. It's the same deal with coffee, honestly, where the amount and the timing both matter and most people just guess. The timer trick works because you are waking up before your body sinks too far in, so going down to 10 minutes might actually cut it too short and leave you groggy from not sleeping at all. I'd test the 10 minute one for a week before you change anything else, but 18 sounds like you already found your spot.