What genuinely helped with long running sleep problems and broken nights

[Markmax]

I’m interested in hearing what has genuinely helped people when sleep problems have gone on for weeks rather than just a night or two.
Mine seems to be a mix of waking at 3–4am, then feeling tired all day but somehow not sleepy at bedtime. I’ve tried the obvious things like cutting caffeine earlier, keeping my phone out of the bedroom, and going to bed at roughly the same time. Some nights are better, but it still feels very up and down.
I know sleep medication can sometimes be prescribed for short periods, but I’m more interested in what people found useful alongside that, or instead of it. Did anyone find CBT-I, a sleep diary, changing evening routines, or speaking to their GP made a real difference?
Not looking for medical advice, just other people’s experiences and ideas that helped them get out of the cycle.

Magnesium is really good for this, maybe you could try a supplement? I found HRT helped me with this too but that’s because the sleeplessness was a symptom of peri.

5-htp supplement. Might be a coincidence but I started this 3 months ago after my mum died and I wasn't sleeping, prior to that I'd had early waking insomnia for years and always woke at 4am. I'm now 'sleeping through ' until 6/7am. It's amazing having unbroken sleep again. I hope you find something that works, sleep deprivation is brutal.

HRT (specifically progesterone, and vagefem to stop the night time peeing)
The Fabulous App (original, not the crappy new ones they have added to the range, for a morning and night routine)
Melatonin

I was born an insomniac. My parents drugged me with phenegan (sp?) as a child in desperation. Peri- meno made it worse. Way worse, waking up for no bloody reason in the wee hours unable to go back to sleep.

No single thing is the magic bullet for me. I need all of the above to make it work. But it is so lovely to fall asleep soon after my head hits the pillow and to stay that way until it’s time to get up.

Massive hug. Insomnia is a real quality of life kicker.

I second magnesium. I believe it takes a couple of weeks to build up in your system but it had made a massive difference. It's very obvious now when i miss my tablet!

I also take cetrizine one a day antihistamine for other reasons but i had to move the tablet to evenings as it made me so sleepy.

I sleep so well now. Asleep in 10 minutes and sleep through. Used to have massive problems falling asleep and i would also wake and toss and turn so much throughout the night.

I take magnesium, not sure if it helps but I think my sleep is better than it used to be.

I’m not very disciplined so find it hard to stick to routine, but I do think having a consistent bedtime routine and a set bedtime helps. DH and I read or watch some tv, have a cup of herbal tea, head to bed around 10-1030. Nothing fancy, just consistent.

DH has gone for sensory deprivation- eye mask, earplugs, weighted duvet with send to work for him.

What do you do when you wake at 3am? If I pick up my phone, I’m doomed.

if it’s to lie awake and worry, then maybe tackling some of the worries during the day time might help. Eg I slept really badly two nights ago, woke up at 3am then lay awake worrying about DS1 dropping out of uni, not having a plan, his life being a disaster 😱. So yesterday I spoke to him about it and got an idea of his plans, pushed back on some of his less realistic proposals. Didn’t completely solve anything but just talking about it calmed my mind, and I slept through last night. So if you are waking up to worry about something, maybe try to take steps to deal with it in some way.

For me it is menopause that has caused sleep disruption and it varies on its own. I go through phases of being away at 2 or 3am for a couple of hours and then dropping off again till about 6:30/700 or like you, am completely awake at 4.30. I do occasionally get phases where I sleep like a log until after 7.

I have just bought some blackout linings for my curtains and they seem to have stopped a wide awake at 4:30 phase for now. Having a walk every day and cutting out alcohol help but the only thing that guarantees me a good night's sleep is a long run - around 7 or 8 miles.

I think I have become a lot less stressed about it knowing it is going to happen. I read or listen to the radio and try to look on it as having a lovely long lie in every morning. I can't remember the last time I needed to put an alarm on and I don't miss that feeling of being dragged out of sleep in a panic when it goes off. You kind of get used to feeling tired during the day.

I have got out of several bad habits which has made a difference

if I wake up early I persevere by lying in bed with my eyes closed and after a while I do drop off again.

i wear earplugs to cut out all noise

i wear a watch that tasks my sleep, and it makes me more disciplined because I don't want a rubbish sleep score!

I go to bed by 930pm every night as a routine

no no screens in the bedroom

a herbal sleep tablet which are not habit forming.

persistence is the main thing, it's all the above combined that makes a difference.

Audiobooks.

I never thought I would do this as I was always under the impression that I needed silence to sleep, but it genuinely works. I listen to that instead of my thoughts and I'm always asleep before the sleep timer turns it off.

I’ve found the Rise app coupled with a Fitbit tracker very helpful. It tells you when to go outside and get 10 minutes of sunlight and when to stop having caffeine for the day and tracks your sleep debt. There are other things you can do such as having a consistent bedtime and wake up time. I find exercising during the day helps me to sleep as I am more tired physically.

Magnesium and B6 helps me. Also sauna/ cold water swimming makes a huge difference to my sleep.

Yes this.

Short-term sleeping tablets have their place they can give you much needed rest. Its hard to develop a helpful routine when you're too exhausted to do anything, including sleep, but they're a last resort really.

Like a pp i listed to audiobooks, podcasts, something on YouTube (with screen face down). Having something to listen to engages my brain just enough without stimulating it so that I can drift off. Set a sleep timer so they don't run on and wake you up later.

A glass of milk also helps - not just an old wives tale, doesnt have to be warm - sometimes I get up and have a shower and start bedtime again.

I also have a wind-down routine which I copied after reading abouf either here or on reddit. I start after dinner. Blue-light exposure is terrible for sleep and I've noticed this makes a difference:

• lamps not big light
• gradually reduce the light in the room over the evening
• use blue light filter on all devices, auto set it to come on 2 hours before bed
• gradually reduce screen brightness through the evening, including TV
• no caffeine after 6. Don't know if it makes a difference but just opting for it helps prepare my head for the evening wind down
• eating balanced meals regularly, reduces stress & anxiety, avoids sugar spikes

Then exposure to daylight when you wake and as much as possible during the day, even on wet winter days. When you open the curtains, take a minute to stand at the window and look outside. SAD lamps are helpful for winter.

I have a sunset /daylight alarm clock - the sunset feature has a timer so i can manually dim the lamp anyway but if i fall asleep with it on theres no risk of it waking me up later. The daylight function is good for waking up.

Meditation podcasts also help. I might listen to one when I go to sleep, or just during the day - just getting one's body and mind into a state of rest helps with fatigue.

Even with this, I'm not sleeping well at the moment, I think it's the weather. I wake up about 4am. Usually put on a podcast and sleep mask and after about an hour can drift off again, am getting just enough for the day ahead. Not stressing about it helps.

I used to take this and found it helpful. Where do you source yours please?