You are right, insomnia can be disruptive ... but only if we let it. I believe there's a choice here -- you either let insomnia control you, or you control it. Once you make the decision to control it, you are on the path to restoring better sleep and getting your life back.

Suggest you start with your doc if you haven't already, as there can be many medical reasons for insomnia. Treat those, and your sleep should improve.

That said, the majority of insomnia is primary, meaning nonmedical. Drugs won't help with that. To treat the nonmedical root causes, the gold standard is CBT sleep training programs.

CBT will give you tools that are completely substance free to improve your sleep. Will your sleep ever be perfect? No. None of us get that. But we can make it better, even good. And for an insomniac that's a worthy goal.

Ask your doc about using a CBT sleep training program, or if you are the self-help type you'll find much good info online and there are many books as well.

I was having the same problem. I used to sleep fine until about two years ago. Could not understand why I could not sleep. Even sleeping pills and cut did not work. Finally found a hormone doctor who did intense blood work and found that I had almost no progesterone and very little testosterone and estrogen. I am over 60 and had already gone through menopause. She helped me correct my imbalances and while I still have occasional issues I can now sleep. CBT now helps me relax and I am less anxious a out sleeping. Sometimes there can be a hormonal imbalance that can disrupt your sleep balance.

I was having the same problem. I used to sleep fine until about two years ago. Could not understand why I could not sleep. Even sleeping pills and cut did not work. Finally found a hormone doctor who did intense blood work and found that I had almost no progesterone and very little testosterone and estrogen. I am over 60 and had already gone through menopause. She helped me correct my imbalances and while I still have occasional issues I can now sleep. CBT now helps me relax and I am less anxious about sleeping. Sometimes there can be a hormonal imbalance that can disrupt your sleep balance. So now I follow the good sleep hygiene rules, I don't eat red meat or anything heavy after 5. I also take a hot bath a couple hours before bedtime and drink chamomile tea. Following a set routine was important once my hormones were back in balance.

I’ve had severe insomnia since I was four years old. I’m now fifty. I’ve tried everything except drugs. Sleep drugs? No way!

Get bloodwork. Ask a doctor to check your thyroid and parathyroid. Weed helps; alcohol makes the problem worse. I sleep hot but I need the weight of blankets on me so I use a weighted blanket. Mine is filled with glass bead stuffing; not poly beads. My sheets are Supima cotton; 250 thread count. They’re better than any “luxury” high thread count sheets I’ve ever used. Also try binaural beats or isochronic tones. Both are helpful but binaural are stronger. Binaural n the Delta range are excellent for sleep. There’s an awesome binaural bundle sold on the iTunes App Store. Relax Melodies is also good. Calm is an excellent app. I had a one year subscription from iTunes. About a month after I renewed Calm offer the app for $149. $$$$ but worth it. Also Insight Timer. There’s a lot of free stuff with Insight Timer. Google JS Epperson. He has cool atmospheric music with binaural beats mixed in. He sells his music for almost nothing. Look for the Delta binaural music. Dr. Breus is a sleep doctor who offers some good advice. I’ve seen him on TV a few times. I just finished watching a ten day video course. It was free but as of today has to be purchased. The course had a lot of good info. Try a “Mind Machine” or a light and sound machine (if you aren’t prone to seizures). I have the Kasina which is excellent. I’ve tried the David which is also very good. Try EFT also known as tapping. I hate tapping but there are lots of people who say it works. There’s also CBTi

I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve been struggling so much. You’re right, not sleeping is truly torture. I agree with everyone else about getting bloodwork done to check for physical causes. I’d also suggest doing a sleep study too. And If you don’t mind my asking, do you or have you had any mental health issues?? A lot of times insOmnia is caused by mental health issues too, and for me it’s anxiety. Talking to a doctor and maybe a psychiatrist about this can be helpful too. Good luck!