You have to re-train your brain to have proper sleep hygiene. It's not particularly easy, takes patience and perseverance but it does work.

Start by making your bedroom a peaceful place to sleep, and only sleep. No distractions, no TV or Computer or bright lights or noises. If your alarm clock has a light on it, turn to face away from the bed. Keep the room cool in both summer and winter, if it's too warm it's harder to sleep. Use blankets to keep you warm. In winter wear socks to bed if your cold, studies show that body heat is lost mostly through extremities, wearing socks to bed raises your body temp and helps you fall asleep faster.

Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each day. It doesn't mean you have to strive for 8 hours per night, set a reasonable time that you think works for you. Build a routine around going to bed. Doing relaxation exercises or deep breathing exercises before you get in bed can help your body and mind relax. Stop any stimulant 3 - 4 hours before bedtime, i.e. caffeine, chocolate, spicy food, etc. Stop liquids 2 hours before bed.

Schedule your meds around your bedtime. Benadryl when taken too frequently or having been used for a long time can cause you to be jittery or agitated as opposed to sleepy, it also dries your whole body out from the inside to the outside and is not good to take large amounts of everyday.

Its not easy to get your Sleep Hygiene in check, and it can take a while, so you have to be willing to stick to it. Laying in bed when your not sleepy to get your brain back on a schedule....well most people want to get up and do something...Don't. Just lay there and rest, close your eyes and think of peaceful thoughts. A sound machine can be very useful, or other "white noise" like a small fan. Think of peaceful things, keep your eyes closed and picture each individual piece of your body from each toe all the way up to each ear relaxing.

Most people eventually fall asleep, and as the nights go on, doing the same ritual over and over, it takes less time and you fall into a routine. Don't nap during the day at all. If you get drowsy during the day get up and go take a walk or take a shower, do something to wake yourself up. Save the sleeping for nighttime.

Take care,
Kat

Good advice from Kat. The only thing I will add is that once you are off the sleep meds (Benadryl and Haldol) if you are having a hard time falling asleep, you might want to take 3-5mg melatonin 30 minutes before you lie down. That's what my pdoc said to do and it helps me fall asleep. Oh, and the other thing I do sometimes is try to read a book a little bit before bed. Not a tablet or Kindle, but a real book. That always helps me relax before I go to sleep.