I've been struggling with sleep for more than I decade. First few years it was the kids that kept me awake every night. Eventually they started to sleep through the night and I couldn't wait. Just to discover that I didn't have the ability to sleep any more. This was about 5 years ago. I was riddled with anxiety and the worst of my demons came out at night. I never have trouble falling asleep, I'm knackered every night. But I started to wake 2am most nights no matter what, feeling anxious and wired and ready to start the day. Sometimes I managed to go back to sleep around 5 am, sometime I didn't. I used to blame my stressful job but I'm not sure anymore. I was prescribed antidepressants for my anxiety. Citalopram made me so sleepy, unfortunately mostly during the day that I struggled even more at work. I switched to Flouxetine (it has helped in the past) but this time it just didn't do anything anymore. Over the years I tried, magnesium, melatonin, new pillow, new duvet, weighted blanket, vitamin B, mindfulness, yoga, regular reflexology, acupuncture ,not looking at screens, having a regular bedtime, getting some exercise and some gave some relief but always short term only. For the last two years things have deteriorated, I'm hot and sweaty at night then I'm freezing cold and wide awake of course, I was still anxious and made me miserable during the day. The kids started to suffer, my husband and my work too. Most days I feel I'm unable to function. I went to GP suggesting it might be perimenopause. It has taken me several appointment over the course of two years to get hrt prescribed. My sleep was deteriorating fast at this time, 2 days before I started the patches, I was awake from midnight, banging my head on the wall and wanting to die. Then I put my first oestrogen patch on and I had the two most wonderful nights of the decade. I was so happy! From day 3 the situation however deteriorated and when I put the conti patch on, it went awful, I wasn't anxious anymore but deeply depressed. Still woke up after an hour sleep each night, sobbing my heart out and this didn't stop in the morning, it carried on during the day. I couldn't sleep or nap during the day either but on rare occasions, like once every 10 days I would get an ok day to keep me going, the rest is awful. Trying to get into touch with GP but it's almost impossible. Despite telling them that I lost my willingness to live, I haven't managed to speak to anyone for the last 3 weeks. Last night I was so bad that I decided to walk to a&e in the middle of the night, I was wide awake all night and couldn't stop crying. They gave me sleeping pills (Zopiclone 3.75) to break the cycle. They said I had to be careful because they were very potent. Now, I hate to say but I've taken one and it had no effect. Went to bed at 10:30pm, fell asleep, woke at midnight and sitting up ever since, wide awake. I'm going insane. So anybody, has any suggestions or just sympathy then please share. It's affecting everybody in my family now, I feel that I'm only upsetting them and there is zero happiness left.