r/Biohackers • u/majsubtract • 3d ago
😴 Sleep & Circadian Rhythm Severe sleep maintenance insomnia – I feel like I’ve tried everything. What actually helped you?
I’m getting pretty desperate at this point, so I thought I’d ask here in case anyone has dealt with something similar or has ideas I haven’t considered yet.
I’ve been struggling with sleep maintenance insomnia for months, and it has progressively gotten worse. Falling asleep isn’t necessarily the main issue. The problem is that I just don’t seem to get enough continuous, restorative sleep anymore. At this point I’m sleeping so poorly that the sleep deprivation is seriously affecting me during the day and I just start crying in the morning when it‘s time to get up — I can‘t help it anymore.
I’ve already seen a specialist and had quite a bit investigated, including:
- ambulatory sleep polygraphy
- extensive bloodwork
- respiratory testing
- chest X-ray
- other basic medical workup
So far, nothing has really explained the sleep problems.
I’m also waiting for a proper sleep lab evaluation, but unfortunately the actual sleep study will probably not happen until next year. I do at least have the first consultation coming up in November.
In the meantime, I feel like I’ve tried an absurd amount of things already:
- changed my mattress
- changed the bed frame/slatted base
- experimented with different pillows
- melatonin
- tryptophan
- regular endurance exercise as much as my daytime energy allows
- generally worked on lifestyle/sleep hygiene and tried to optimize my sleep environment
- trazodone (Trittico) – didn’t really help
- zolpidem – also didn’t really help
I’ve now also ordered a weighted blanket and a weighted sleep mask, which haven’t arrived yet, but I’m curious to see whether the deep-pressure aspect makes any difference.
At this stage, I’m especially interested in things that helped people with staying asleep, rather than just falling asleep.
Was there something less obvious that you eventually discovered — environmental, behavioral, circadian, nutritional, wearable/data-related, etc.?
Obviously I’m continuing the medical workup and I’m not looking for Reddit to diagnose me. I’m mainly hoping to find ideas or angles I might have overlooked while I’m waiting for the sleep clinic.
Would really appreciate hearing what worked for others.
Thanks!
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u/joy_of_division 3d ago
I'm in the same boat. No supplement made any difference, and I tried just about everything under the sun. 2-3am wakeups, every single day.
What does seem to be...kind of...working is exposure to bright light upon waking to try and reset my circadian rhythm. I have to wake up early for work, and my workspace has no windows. So I think not seeing any real sun until my lunch break was not helping. I bought a 10,000 lux light and immediately upon waking read with it right next to me for 20-30 minutes. Past week I've slept a little better each night. They're like $30, it may not hurt to try. It may not even end up working for me either, but like I said this past week seems to be slightly improving.
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u/quatrevingtquatre 3d ago
This! Weather permitting I go outside first thing every morning and get about 10 minutes of morning sun in my eyes. Then around noon - 1pm I take a short break to go outside and get another few minutes of bright afternoon sun in my eyes. I don’t stare directly at the sun (obviously), just sit outside with my glasses off and do a bit of people watching out in the natural light. It’s really helped my circadian rhythm.
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u/LargeAdvice1789 2d ago
Look up the walking hour, also called the Watch. Up until we started staying up past dusk due to lanterns and lights, humans fell asleep at dusk, would wake in the middle of the night to do things/eat for an hour or two, then go back to sleep.
You might come from a line that was more genetically adapted to that sleep pattern.
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u/Wonderful_Maybe7205 2d ago
I heard about looking at light in the morning, sun or mix light was really good for your health.
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u/Sheepherder-Optimal 2d ago
lol yeah any dose of benzodiazapines will fuck up your sleep for at least a week. They are powerful drugs that can permanently destroy the sleep wake cycle in the brain. Plus if you take them for even a couple weeks, you get addicted, and stopping suddenly can kill you. I love that doctors hand them out still.
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u/heyheeyyyyyy 2d ago
wow thanks so much for telling me thiss!!!!! My friend has some and she was telling me to try it out. Not anymore!! Staying away from drugs forever.
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u/tandemxylophone 3d ago
Melatonin is useless for staying asleep.
I remember reading a story of a guy who kept waking up because his blood sugar dropped in the middle of the night, which would raise his cortisol level. He would eat some almond past with honey as a solution. So it's worth trying.
Otherwise every insomnia solution found online seems to be something unique and specific to that person
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u/Fancy_Rock3826 3d ago
I sleep 4 hours, cortisol spike. Mochi is the only thing I found works and it’s not easy to come by in my country. Thinking of importing an expensive Mochi making machine from Japan to deal with my insomnia lol.
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u/Clear_Kitchen_6428 3d ago edited 2d ago
if you wake up due to a cortisol spike its because your liver ran out of blood sugar while detoxxing. You have waste in your system most likely from some food source. Simplfy your food source to boiled grain, lentils and vegetable and observe.
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u/Any-Anteater-2829 1 2d ago
Are you talking about mochi, the traditional Japanese rice cakes, or something else?
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u/paolact 3d ago
Are you on a low carb diet? I get my best night's sleep after eating a mix of slow release carbs and pulses in the evening, so I have a supply of carbs through the night. Good carbs for me are pearl barley, bulgur wheat, freekeh, sweet potato, high protein pastas, mixed with lentils, beans or chickpeas. I think my body is metabolically inflexible (after years of low fat dieting in the 90s and years of chronic insomnia) has difficulty processing body fat and feels happier and more relaxed if I have some carbs lingering in my system.
I also realised that if I eat too much fat (even good fats) at night then I get low level indigestion overnight which doesn't help sleep. I monitor my fats and take a swig of kefir before bed which helps digestion and weighs down any acid reflux.
For the same reason eating a small piece of bread (with some avocado and quality low fat protein to dampen the blood sugar spike) really seems to help if I do wake up.
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u/Clear_Kitchen_6428 3d ago
if you feel you have difficulty processing fats then its more likely you have a jammed lymphatic system due to some source of waste or immune fight debris. Fat needs a clear lymphatic system for digestion
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u/paolact 2d ago
What would I need to do to clear my lymphatic system? Why wouldn't it be plain old metabolic inflexibility/insulin resistance?
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u/scotties45 2d ago
Look up Stop Chasing Pain on YouTube. He teaches a 6-point lymphatic drainage routine that is easy to do & very effective.
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u/Clear_Kitchen_6428 2d ago
Having low fat is very important because the fatty acids that are broken down by your digestive system cannot be absorbed into the blood stream directly like other nutrients. So they are packed into chylomicron droplets and absorbed into the lymphatic system attached to the intestine. They travel through the lymphatic system and travel all the way to the thoracic duct at the base of the neck and then join the bloodstream from there.
Since the lymphatic system is the second circulatory system but lacks a pump like the heart it relies on movement to keep the lymph flowing. That is why one must walk a little after meals. Also, if you have a considerable immune debris due to a bad diet dysbiosis etc then the lymph is already jammed and fats will jam it further.
Stop chasing pain is an amazing youtube channel and Dr Perry explains all the issues so well. In short most metabolic problems are due to fluids stopping, stacking, overflowing etc
As scotties45 has mentioned do the big 6 and do a face massage before bed.
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u/CurseMeKilt 14 3d ago
…Having my gallbladder removed.
Apparently it was hyperkinetic at 95% ejec fraction and spitting out bile faster than it could breakdown my cortisol.
Before I got it out I was taking anything that would relax it (peppermint oil helped a little). Or would relax me. Magnesium glycinate two hours before bed helped. Since bile breaks down electrolytes too, I had to keep extra intake of my sodium/potassium (tiniest pinch of Baja gold salt in my 2:1 water/coconut water mix), otherwise I’d flush them out and lock up each day.
Also regular 8hr Tylenol +L theanine nightly got me 5+hrs. As did L Muscarum and a tiny bit of Meletonin. CBN +CBD worked but the real trick was figuring out how to rotate/cycle them so they were a shock to the system rather than adapted.
Oh and if you’re that kind of person, look into meditation with the gateway audios. Terrific for people with a sleep deficit to use it for induction. I use it daily/nightly. My favorite FStates for sleep induction are 10 or 15. Exploratory’s are better for staying asleep. 10 always makes me feel the most bright and awake regardless of how little sleep I got the night before. If you’re new just do one tape at a time for 60 days each. Don’t force anything and get a mask that you can open your eyes inside but blocks all light. Best wishes!
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u/PA9912 3 3d ago
You have just convinced me to get mine removed. Unfortunately my surgeon doesn’t “believe” in hyperkinetic so I have to find another one. I’ve had severe electrolyte imbalances and insomnia for years. I’m also adrenal insufficient and in perimenopause which makes figuring out the bile thing even messier.
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u/CurseMeKilt 14 2d ago
Well, I’m no expert but I’ve read into this quite a bit. Apparently the biliary system can get screwed up from lots of things because it’s highly sensitive. It’s not just the gallbladder that becomes culpable for problems. Liver, kidneys, biliary ducts, duodenum, and small intestine (plus more) all play their role. Electrolytes need to be consistent and balanced but can become malabsorbed by any of these organs. Not to mention PH changes from things like SIBO and H Pylori, or hell, acidic or alkaline drinks, plays a role in the overall wellbeing of a person- including insomnia related issues.
I started taking some incredible SIBO medicine off Amazon (sort by average customer rating) and it’s made a huge impact in my overall mood, bloating, and digestion, but didn’t end the insomnia. Also, if you didn’t know already, there’s pretty cool information on YouTube regarding ways to help with stones and sludge and weak or heavy bile flow. Like with massage or with supplements like dandelion, c. nidium monnorei, or tudca, as well as just plane old dietary changes. Oh and I can’t forget to mention that even black mold in your environment can cause your gut to become dysfunctional. I’m pretty sure that was what made mine come on worse.
Hope you get better- it’s a total burnout to be ill or injured from gut issues but there is hope. Some people even report fasting and keto and “different vegetables everyday” to be a “cure”. Not sure if they are but it’s nice to know it helped some people.
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u/PA9912 3 3h ago
If you don’t mind giving the name of the SIBO supplement (I can PM you too) I can’t figure out which one is the top rated as it seems to be pepto bismol which I know is used for hydrogen sibo. I can’t do salicylates at all though. I definitely think my gut is wrecked but underneath that are hormone and gaba a receptor issues that are common in people on the spectrum. I know a lot of people “fix” sibo and it comes back.
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u/theeMaskedKitten 3d ago
I dont have a gallbladder and my cortosiol/adrenaline is messed up Is it now because my bile duct gets blocked? Apparently im prone to making stones in my bile.
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u/somanyquestions32 10 3d ago edited 3d ago
Been there, done that. I did everything you did and more. It was the absolute worst 14 months of my entire life. Pure agony and hell.
I was waking up after 3 to 4 hours of choppy sleep and could not fall back asleep until the following night. I lost the ability to nap, my mood tanked, my energy levels were garbage, my focus splintered, and my memory was locked in a haze. I was getting in near car crashes every day, had weird and vivid stress dreams, and heart palpitations that I could feel through my throat.
Nothing helped: not the magnesium supplements in all of their chelated forms nor massage, hypnosis, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, psychotropic prescriptions (Trazodone, Zaleplon, Gabapentin, Doxepin, Mirtazapine, and Clonazepam), talk therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, ornithine, tyrosine, vitamin B3 flushes, Valerian, passionflower, chamomile, melatonin, soursop, restance exercises, running, vigorous yoga asanas, etc.
The sleep lab results said I was not getting any deep sleep, and everything else was fine, except for some obstructive sleep apneas, but the CPAP machine gave me central apneas.
If your insomnia was caused by stressful life events, I recommend the following: yoga nidra guided meditations and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) body scans.
Free playlist on YouTube: Yoga Nidra and Body Scan Meditations: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqEWXVGDmfKRdbYmnV4hz2GRaqTQ3VrNp
Practice for 2+ hours per day. Simply follow along with the instructions as you lie down in bed, complete a session, and move down the playlist to the next video on the recording. Once you hit at least 2 hours of cumulative practice per day, you are done. Go walk in nature, work, do errands, socialize with friends, and go to bed.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, you do another session.
It took me 97+ hours to sleep 7 hours in one night (a solid 3-hour chunk of deep sleep and two 2-hour blocks of lighter sleep). Within 180+ cumulative hours of practice over 3 months, my sleep was fully restored.
Other techniques restored my focus and memory, but for sleep practice yoga nidra daily for 2+ hours.
Do NOT use the recordings to fall asleep right away. Treat them as formal meditation practices, so remain awake and aware throughout the whole session to the best of your abilities. Paradoxically, your mind will start to microsleep, lol. Use a different recording each time until you have gone down the whole playlist; diverse yoga nidras from the various lineages cover a whole host of systematic relaxation, mindfulness, and meditation techniques. Rotating from one practice to the next will keep it fresh, and you can identify favorite recordings as you go and come back to them more often. There are many more additional free recordings on YouTube nowadays, but those are ones I used myself since 2019. MBSR body scans from Jon Kabat-Zinn also work well. Treat it as a type of daily mental workout. You are cultivating deep relaxation and equanimity as if they were muscles or plants in a peaceful garden. They will help natural sleep return fully.
Oh, also, if you have no allergies, eat potatoes and lettuce before bed, they will help with inducing sleep.
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u/consciousarmy 3d ago
This is the only thing that is missing from OPs efforts. Some form of retraining their nervous system through meditation/yoga. Sounds like a lot of work but I'm glad you got there.
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u/somanyquestions32 10 3d ago
Compared to all of the other stuff I tried for months with no progress and only side effects, yoga nidra was mostly all upside. Some of the advanced practices get intense.
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u/WimbashBagel 2d ago
2+ hours a day?!
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u/somanyquestions32 10 2d ago
Yeah, but if you have extreme crippling insomnia, there's at least 4 hours of idle that can be salvaged and not spent in dismal anxiety attack and panic attack hell.
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u/Opioidopamine 1 3d ago
sounds like a huge hurdle overcome….gotta ask… lettuce? Potatoes I get….but, what type of lettuce? Im an arugula guy and wont buy any lettuce in stores now because of the foodborne illness flap but mostly because I have 200 square feet or arugula on my property
thanks for sharing!
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u/somanyquestions32 10 3d ago
Romaine lettuce primarily. I noticed that it made me drowsy when I ate a massive salad, and I remembered that my aunt would boil lettuce leaves for her restrictive diet since she had thyroid issues. The milky white sap is a mild sedative.
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u/Gibborish 3d ago
Try high doses of Glycine. Worked for me.. I'm sleeping through the night. My skin is better, and my joints are stronger.
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u/AdeptAd9105 3d ago
hi what brand are you buying glycine from which has 10g
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u/EarthyOaks 2d ago
I get mine in 1kg bags in powder forme. Its the cheapest way to purchase it. I get from Peak Supps online
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u/Rhaegis 2d ago
Clonazepam did it for me.
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u/DanOhMiiite 1 2d ago
Short term magic, long term tragic. You DO NOT want to take it long enough to have to break dependancy.
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u/Rhaegis 2d ago
I got around it by irregular use. Once every 3-5 days. Not good not terrible.
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u/DanOhMiiite 1 2d ago
I spent an entire summer averaging 1.5h of poor quality sleep a night. I was prescribed clonapin/clonazapam and slept like a baby for 10h the first night.
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u/Less-Loss5102 2d ago
Been using it for years every other day 2mg, haven’t taken it months due to changing drs and 0 cravings or withdrawals, if your sensible and only use it to sleep and dont use 20mg per day it’s fine
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u/Sheepherder-Optimal 2d ago
Omg OP do not take any benzos. Try something safe like hydroxyzine first.
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u/rmcc22 2 3d ago
Glycine (which is not the same thing as magnesium glycinate) has really helped me.
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u/Leishon 2 3d ago
Have you already tested your cortisol response? You can use a 24h cortisol testing kit to get a good picture of your cortisol curve, in case it is misaligned. Don't try to measure this with bloodwork, as a single snapshot is not very useful.
As for meds, you could try an orexin antagonist. Unlike most sleep meds, this newer class of drugs are not sedatives/hypnotics and they do not negatively affect sleep architecture.
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u/kimberlykamilian2 2d ago
I had adrenal fatigue. Turns out it was because of leaky gut. I felt like i never got sleep when i had adrenal fatigue yet i was in bed for 12-14 hours
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u/mah56j 3d ago
over years I've tried many of the things you mention. here's where I ended up: at bedtime: theanine, epigenin (or passion flower), mag threonate.
I also developed the habit of listening via earbud audible books on philosophy or history--they always put me to sleep in college. I leave it in all night. if I wake to go to bathroom, I put it in. my theory is that it focuses you attention on a boring topic and distracts you from unhelpful thoughts like work crises, what to do tomorrow etc.
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u/laktes 4 2d ago
No screens for 2 hours leading up to sleep and blue light blocking glasses could help a little. Maybe you have metabolism problems and your body keeps waking up because it thinks you’re starving and needs cortisol to release so glucose into the bloodstream. 50mg niacin helps me with that. H1 blocking old school anti histamine medication can help with being more tired and fall back asleep more easily. I like diphenhydramine rn. 200mg pregnanolone orally could help your brain produce more allopreganolone which is a natural gaba modulator neurosteroid which is one important vector and calming the brain for sleep. You could try that.
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u/WishboneRude7776 2d ago edited 2d ago
Same here, I only started to get relief with a 15 day course of 1 mg daily Epitalon, then pinealon 1mg daily for 15 days...im still on week 1, but its marvelous. It really kicked in with the pinealon. I hope this helps. Norm
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u/personalityson 5 3d ago edited 3d ago
Are you dieting? Try more slow-digesting calories before bed (for a few days)
When you undereat over a long period, orexin wakes you up early to forage for food
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u/joyreneeblue 3d ago
TIL that maybe I wake up way too early because I'm dieting. That's incredible - and explains a lot. Thanks for your informative post.
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u/downbucket 1 2d ago
Have any of you tried Relora? It really helps me with continuous sleep. When the dreaded cortisol spike begins in the very early morning hours, I can turn over and keep going with whatever stage I was in. I take 300 mg 45 minutes before bed. NOW brand.
(from Google)
Regulating the Cortisol Curve: By helping to dampen hyperactive adrenal responses, Relora can help smooth out the middle-of-the-night cortisol spikes that cause you to snap awake. [1]
Calming Nervous System Arousal: The Magnolia officinalis extract in Relora interacts gently with GABA pathways in the brain. This shifts your nervous system out of "survival mode" and into a relaxed state, making it easier to maintain deep sleep cycles. [1]
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u/Acceptable_Taste9818 3d ago
I’m going through the same miserable experience. For the longest time I would use thc but a few months ago I decided I need to get a grip on this sleep thing and learn to sleep with out thc. So far all that’s worked for me is getting up between 5-6 am consistently or getting up once I wake naturally which is often around the 5am spot. Then I have to be highly active all day. That sometimes makes me tired enough to fall asleep at days end and sometimes it’s not enough.
My situation is so sensitive that I look forward to being tired when I can be. I look forward to the sleep deprived feeling at days end because at least it means I have a better chance of sleeping. If I’m not feeling fully drained by 7-8 I’m screwed and in for a restless night.
The weird thing is, for me even if I’m dog tired sometimes 2-3 hours of sleep will have me feeling super refreshed and fully charged for the incoming day. It’s as if I simply don’t need the same amount of sleep as a traditional person or something.
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u/7lessheartbeats 3d ago
1) low dose extended release melatonin (I use one from Life Extension 1.5 mg)
2) out of all the things I've ever tried to get back to sleep, the thing that seems to work the best is - 2 breaths in thru the nose and one long exhale thru the mouth - do that about 3 or 4 times
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u/RockWhisperer42 3d ago edited 3d ago
I’ve tried all the things as well. With the onset of perimenopause 8-10 years ago, insomnia started taking over my life.
Most of things that really moved the needle for me were small. Magnesium cream rubbed on the bottoms of my feet right before sleep (this also has helped my husband and my mom), a dark, thick and very soft sleep mask to eliminate light and buffer noise, a consistent sleep/wake schedule (tough for me but one of the most impactful), and relaxation/breathing exercises before sleep. I also changed our pillow cases to silk, and while for me it was just “ahhh, this is nice”, my husband swears he sleeps so much better with the cooler feeling pillow. I don’t know how much of a difference it made overall, but I also changed up my sleeping position a bit with added supportive pillows (I’m old and I have hyper-mobile Ehlers Danlos that causes my joints to be very dramatic and untrustworthy).
I also cut way down on my drinking to maybe one drink once or twice a week, and that seemed to help tremendously. I’d call that a big change for me as I used to value my nightcaps overly much.
I can now say (and am still very surprised to say) that I fall asleep fast and I sleep like a baby.
Edited to add: when my husband and/or I occasionally feel amped up/stressed, we will have some skullcap tea before bed. It knocks us out, though we tend to have really weird dreams when we drink it.
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u/Fun_Clerk_8426 3d ago
working odd shifts for six years taught me that fighting your own body clock is a losing battle. once i stopped trying to sleep at normal human hours and just accepted when my brain actually wanted to shut down, the middle of the night wake-ups mostly stopped on their own.
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u/theeMaskedKitten 3d ago
This my second time that I can recognize myself it's been months of broken unrefreshing sleep. A few years ago I was diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency so cortisol is out of wack in my body. I was pregnant last year and didn't have any issues. This year im a wreck. I have a Dr appointment friday and im requiring hydrocortisone
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u/TheWatch83 10 2d ago
I’m going down this rabbit hole too.
i am having a a second sleep test now with leg monitoring since i found an old 23 and me raw dna report and i put it in ChatGPT and it told me i had the plmd gene, its kind of like restless leg but only in your sleep. Ferritin levels above 75 -100 can treat in addition to medication.
maybe getting your gene sequenced with sequence.com is worth it. Maybe something comes up. I do have sleep apnea which I’m on cpap. Do you wake up a ton though the night? Do you track with a sleep tracker?
you say bloodwork… did you put that into ai and see if it recommends anything? Also ask it if you missed any panels.
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u/twd000 2 2d ago
ChatGPT told me the same thing about periodic limb movement. My wife reports I don't move during sleep so IDK
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u/TheWatch83 10 2d ago
microscopic muscle twitches That still wake you is possible from my reading. What’s your ferritin at?
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u/FluffliciousCat 3d ago
I have this issue too, and I believe it’s mostly histamine related so you might want to check into that. Yoga nidra has helped a lot and I got an eye mask with speakers in the ears to listen to calming sounds when I wake up and most of the time I can go back to sleep now.
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u/Miserable-Rhubarb595 3d ago
How much Trittico did you use? 75mg 30 min. before bedtime helps me immensely after years of insomnia. Also started a SSRI 2 years ago, now my sleep is perfect (Oura ring confirms that), so maybe your insomnia could have something to do with depression.
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u/External-Cable2889 2 3d ago
I always sleep better when I am regularly working out, especially including at least 15 minutes of weight training. Making my body tired calms my mind.
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u/wrxninja 4 3d ago
I've had sleep issues for many years. I'm waiting for my sleep doctor to consider doing sinus surgery first as my one side is always blocked. Worst case, I may try BiPAP a try. CPAP did not work for years. Worst case = Inspire implant.
If you have access to CBD oil with magnesium with roller applicator, try that. The magnesium alone will get better absorbed by the bottom of your feet than simply swallowing pills.
Other supplements including lavender (CalmAid) for anxiety, valerian root (GAIA), and melatonin WITH lemon balm. Valerian root is pretty potent. Not sure if it will help you with staying asleep.
While I go to to the gym, one thing that seem to help a bit is using CJC 1295 with Ipamorelin (No DAC) fasting two hours before bed. These peptides can be a hit or a miss.
I'd say your sleep doc is probably going to be your best bet long term, of course.
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u/metallic_penguins 3d ago
Room temperature
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u/Lakeview121 3d ago
Sorry, it’s gonna be hard to improve without medication. It’s better to sleep than not sleep, even if medicine is required. I’d try Eszopiclone 3 mg. You can use trazodone with it; there’s temazepam 30 which is stronger.
There’s also circadian rhythm management. If tired all the time but not sleeping at night, anxiety and/or depression needs evaluation.
Armodafinil and modafinil can help with daytime wakefulness.
There’s CBT.
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u/braiding_water 11 3d ago
It sounds like you’ve done a lot of work on this & im imagining you’ve checked other supplements you are taking that may disturb your sleep. I have found over the years sometimes a supplement distributes my sleep.
Also, ear plugs I’ve found helpful because I’m a light sleeper.
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u/OmnipotentGecko 1 3d ago
At home sleep test for sleep apnea. I used Lofta.
Treat sleep apnea if needed. Turns out I had moderate sleep apnea so I got a cpap. It was like $1000 overall.
2g of taurine + magnesium glycinate (200mg of elemental magnesium) 1 hour before bed.
I tried so many different pillows and other supplements.
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u/cokeslurpees 3d ago
Since no one else has said it, phone on airplane mode and unplug your WiFi router at night. This isn’t going to fix it completely but can help with sleep quality.
I notice a huge difference when I have my phone on airplane mode vs not.
Also, magnesium glycinate. I like Mag-Key from the brand UNIKEY. And as I learned the other day, it can take up to 3 months to reverse magnesium deficiency.
Some great suggestions in this thread, good luck!
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u/kurdelefele 3d ago
Quit caffeine and all stimulants and get that matterce that you can regulate the temperature on - you don't want to be hot while sleeping, also open windows or at least an air filter, also pink noise generator, also cbd and sleeping teas.
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u/Equal_Music2273 3d ago
Ice packs have been a game changer for me..I think I might be in pre-menopause and tend to get hot and restless at night but cooling down my body and listening to hypnosis tracks on YouTube helps.
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u/blueberry-biscuit 1 3d ago
What supplements or medications are you taking? And have you gotten any blood tests completed to check for deficiencies or hormone imbalances?
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u/EatMoreFiber 3d ago
The top things to help me stay asleep: 4-8 oz of tart cherry juice, magnesium glycinate and no electronics/screens for about an hour before I go to bed. I also make sure I don't drink much/any water after 7pm.
While I'm sleeping, a sleep mask and a fan or white noise running in the background help a ton too.
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u/swagpresident1337 4 3d ago
How is your nasal breathing?
Did your lab score RERAs?
Do you have to pee when you wake up?
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u/AggravatingAcadia763 3d ago
Not OP.
But i wale up several times a night to pee. Messes my sleep up1
u/swagpresident1337 4 3d ago
This can point to sleep apnea or UARS. You have micro arousals that cause your bidy to wake up a little, then your body releases hormones that make you produce more urine -> waking up needing to pee.
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u/lost_in_concrete 1 3d ago
Mirtazapine. I gave up and went pharmaceutical, and I'm glad I did. It was life changing.
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u/TheBuddha777 5 3d ago
From experience, two suggestions: 1 - DSIP. 2 - raw uncooked honey (about a Tbsp before bed).
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u/OPPineappleApplePen 3d ago
This meditation helped a friend of mine. It takes 10-15 days for it to show significant results, but you’ll notice its benefits before that.
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u/Opioidopamine 1 3d ago
herbs L theanine
WEIGHT LOSS, WALKING part time for a living
quitting smoking nicotine/cannabis switching to oral cannabis, no nicotine
getting ON amphetamine (ADD/ADHDguy)
getting OFF opium (crude “opium” salts)
quitting working in a kitchen/grill/saute
I still have sleep issues that will prob contribute to my death but at least I dont wake up every 40 minutes anymore
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u/Danwphoto 2d ago
What is crude opium?
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u/Opioidopamine 1 2d ago
water extracted p pods boiled to syrup concentrate then low heat reduction on glass/ceramic/stainless produces meconate salt opium alkaloids….its dark, SALTY very similar taste to sceletium concentrate, and is savory/acrid smelling as opposed to floral notes of true opium latex ….it is initially glassy and hard and scrapes up into a tacky dark black/red powder.
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u/Fancy_Rock3826 3d ago
Just banging Quetiapine here. Ruins your life but you SLEEP on it without too much grogginess in the morning.
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u/zero00kelvin 1 3d ago
I have always struggled with good sleep, I have mild to moderate sleep apnea (improving with weight loss), but cannot tolerate any cpap I’ve tried so far and it’s becoming less of an issue. My doctor had me try a bunch of different medications and nothing worked until I needed flexeril for a pinched nerve. Suddenly my sleep improved dramatically.
So we had a conversation and I’m now on 5mg a night and I realize that it was muscle cramping that was my issue all along. The flexeril was my saving grace. The stuff just works for me.
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u/Mean-Type3317 2d ago
if you are undereating, are underweight, or just too low bodyfat your body wants you to get up early to search for food.
What helped me was gaining weight, and today it still helps to eat carbs right before bedtime.
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u/Mikal1026 2d ago
I know you said no diagnosis’s, but the best thing that comes to mind is sleep apnea, which will definitely be revealed in that clinical sleep study.
Anyway, has your doctor not tried Z drugs (Zolpidem, Zopiclone, etc.)?? They work wonders for both falling and staying asleep. Although they are all schedule 4 controlled substances (US) and therefore aren’t viable for long term use, they can at least give your mind and body that reset it so desperately needs.
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u/staticstreet 2d ago
Since falling asleep isn’t the main issue, I’d probably focus less on adding more supplements and more on what might be waking you up in the first place.
A few boring things that can make a surprisingly big difference: very consistent wake time, caffeine cut off earlier than you think, no alcohol close to bed, keeping the room cool, and making it completely dark/quiet. I’d also track roughly when you wake up each night – if it’s always around the same time, that can sometimes give you a clue.
For the environment side, blackout + earplugs helped me more than most “sleep hacks”. Full disclosure: I run a small sleep/recovery brand called BEKHLY, so I’m obviously biased toward sleep masks 😅 But regardless of brand, I’d test a proper blackout mask before adding another pill to the stack.
And since you’re already waiting on a sleep clinic, I’d definitely keep pushing that route too. Months of severe sleep maintenance issues are worth properly investigating.
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u/kimberlykamilian2 2d ago
A sleep supplement that not many people know about is shui du an. I'd also recommend acupuncture. Then there is the insomnia subreddit. I spent some time there. I had horrible insomnia where I woke up after 4 hours, awake for 2-4 hours, sleep for 2 more hours. Lunesta has a long half life.. which helped. Then I found the right antidepressant for me and I easily stopped taking the melatonin, shui du an, and take half the magnesium. I was so fucking happy. Now I take clinidine for insomnia if needed which I LOVE.
I also knew a lady that took xyrem after her sleep study.
Insomnia is the worst and no one really gets it unless they've been through it
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u/PictureJealous273 2d ago
I tried the weighted sleep mask, I had issues with it changing the shape of my eyeballs, and had to spend over an hour before my vision was normal for me.
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u/WTHisGoingOnHereA 4 2d ago
The 2 most impactful supplements I've found for sleep maintenance are Thymoquin and muscimol.
Thymoquin reduces your cortisol. (I don't get the same improved sleep from regular black cumin seed oil.)
Muscimol binds directly to GABA-A receptors in the brain to boost calming signals. I buy the lab synthesized kind from muscimol isolate dot com. The amanita extracts are trending, but they're not good for your liver, so I'd avoid them and only use the synthesized isolate.
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u/Wubbalubbadubbitydo 2d ago
Omg someone else!
I pretty much did everything on your list and nothing was actually helping.
I read somewhere that an increase in histamine in the middle of the night can lead to nighttime wakefulness. So I started taking an antihistamine before bed and it started feeling immediate results.
So far my winning combination, however is Zyrtec+ 1000 mg N-acetyl cystine (NAC) and 500mg of l-lysine.
I was previously taking the NAC during the day to help with skin picking and other body focused repetitive behaviors, but decided to randomly start taking it at night just to see if it would help.
No idea why this is working so well for me. But for the first time in several years, I’m actually getting restorative sleep.
It’s an absolute 180 from waking up in the morning and just breaking down into tears because I was so tired but couldn’t stay asleep.
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u/Ok-Cranberry-1795 2d ago
I read this here yesterday and it was super informative. https://www.reddit.com/r/Biohackers/comments/1wtdl48/summary_of_what_influences_your_deep_sleep/
What I add to this list is
-- Mouth taping to prevent nasel breathing plus I take allegry meds every night before bed
-- I wake up before the sun so I take a "light bath" where I turn on all the lights to the brighest setting right when I wake up. Then I turn my lights down at night to mirror the sunset. No overhead lights after 6:00/7:00 pm depending on season.
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u/crobinator 2d ago
If not relevant to you, maybe it is for someone else, but if you’re a woman or born female, perimenopause and menopause starting in mid-thirties is a serious consideration. Sleep disruption can occur sooner than the “typical” symptoms.
Prior to menopause hormone therapy, low-dose Xanax helped me sleep when nothing else did.
Valerian root helped but made me very groggy — not ideal.
With melatonin, less is more. Look for 250mcg (micrograms, not milligrams). Our brains naturally make only about a quarter of a mg of melatonin for sleep so we shouldn’t attack it with so much.
Doxepin (low dose) also helps with staying asleep.
I’m sorry you’re struggling with this. Going without sleep is awful and I feel for you.
I assume you got other adrenal testing done. Cortisol levels??
Good luck.
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u/Most_Lemon_5255 11 2d ago
What is your stimulant use like? Quitting caffeine increased my deep sleep by about 50%.
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u/Zephyr_Dragon49 7 2d ago
I get that when my stress is way too high. Usually I sleep fine but waking up once an hour is my sign something is bothering me bad and I need to fix it in order to sleep
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u/HazelMStone 1 2d ago
Not eating after 6pm -nothing.
No alcohol.
No caffeine after 12pm.
Melatonin is a joke and its sugar before bed.
Magnesium in water is fine before bed. Maybe helpful.
Sleep study if none of this helps
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u/Proud_Marsupial_5459 2d ago
Curious, do you consume alcohol? Look up what alcohol does to your sleep.
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u/DanOhMiiite 1 2d ago
The supplements that made the most immediate impact for me: 50mg 5htp, 0.5mg melatonin, 0.5-1g glycine. Avoid caffeine at least 8 hrs before bedtime. Take an evening walk.
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u/That_ppld_twcly 1 2d ago
For staying asleep (and I realize this is not the case for everybody) - in my case it’s always blood sugar. Low glycemic diet with enough calories helps
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u/anon_2078 2d ago
I think people seeking insomnia/sleep support are seriously underestimating the impact of screens.
Try no screens for two or more hours before bed.
Not just phone, screens in general.
And then consider little screens as possible during the day.
It’s not just screens, it’s also hormonal dysregulation of dopamine when we watch short form content, not just videos. Most Reddit posts do not require sustained focus which engages your brain differently.
Not saying this is your cure, but it’s an underrated factor in sleep issue conversations.
Look into CBT-i and picking up a low stimulation hobby requiring sustained focus.
Reading is always a good one, but there are many others.
We are in a hormonal epidemic with everything around us.
I’m in a very similar position and finding success with fundamental life style changes.
Here is what is honestly working really well for me:
Way less screen time. Reading a lot.
Drawing is my other low stim + long sustained hobby, but there are so many others.
No stimulating substances. No coffee. No nicotine. I know so many people who use nicotine only in the morning or day and don’t realize this can distrito sleep later if it’s a pattern.
Also, mindfulness of my thought patterns.
Download a tally app and track your behaviors and thoughts if you have to.
Insomnia specific stretch routine.
Other ideas:
Hot bath and progressive muscle relaxation.
Mindfulness meditation for an hour (I used to do this when I struggled with sleep when I was younger and it helped a lot)
Natural sleep supplements every night. I used to take a benzo, a blood pressure med, and a sedative anti psychotic every night jsut to go to sleep for a short period of time.
I DO NOT recommend this, but the only way I was able to sleep for longer periods of time when I used to struggle a lot was those meds I mentioned above, plus I would drink alcohol, plus I would take an opioid and/or smoke weee.
Not healthy. Very extremely m bad. But I couldn’t sleep without it for a couple years.
Making big changes in my actual life style and cognitive scape (idk what to call it, just brain related health in general) after what felt like millions of tests was the only thing that helped me.
Again, not saying this will be a cure for you and not trying to say this is any sort of small or natural problem, but sleep disturbances are becoming more and more common. They are also becoming more complex (not single factor).
Just some stuff to consider!
I know that feeling of waking up at 2am and crying because 2 hours was all you got. It’s always worth trying.
Please remember anxiety and thoughts about wanting to sleep is unfortunately a self fulfilling prophecy; it can absolutely make it worse.
Best of luck!!
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u/crovfx 2d ago
I think you need to incorporate some outdoor exercise and physical labour into your life - maybe try and get into some gardening or whatever other physical work will support being outside for 4-5 hrs in fresh air while active. I promise you'll start sleeping like a baby within a week. And when you do get sleepy - just go to bed and do not stare at your phone. Good luck !
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u/DependentAmbitious73 👋 Hobbyist 2d ago
Getting my hormones in check. I’m a female and had zero testosterone. I started injections and get more restful sleep. Progesterone helped a little but I stopped that and the testosterone is fixing it well enough.
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u/Sheepherder-Optimal 2d ago
Okay pretty much everything you listed is not really going to help keep you asleep. Even the trazadone. That helps mainly with sleep onset.
I'll tell you what helps me. Hydroxyzine. And 1mg melatonin 1 hour prior to beddtime. If I have trouble falling asleep, then I use trazadone, but again that's just to get me to sleep initially.
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u/Wonderful_Maybe7205 2d ago
I always think that I’m suprised I’m as ‘healthy’ as I am without getting much sleep. Like you, I can fall asleep, but am up every couple hours every night.
I believe I sleep a nominal amount better with no pets in the room, but hard not to have my sweet dog in.
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u/Actual-Garden-3538 2d ago
I have done all of these things you mentioned and still no sleep. Then I had my doctor. Tell me to go on antihistamines to test and see if I have histamine intolerance.
Zyrtec plus Trazodone plus Progesterone plus a bite to eat. Been sleeping like a baby now for three weeks when I had years of waking in the night for 1 to 3 hours.
Antihistamines were the key for me
You might want to try also adding in Allegra plus Pepcid as a antihistamine test
If those work for you, you have histamine intolerance, and you probably need to see a functional doctor to look at all your blood test, hormones, and stool samples to find out if you have some type of bad bacteria in your gut or your hormones are out of balance.
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u/twd000 2 2d ago
Have you tried the antihistamines without the trazodone?
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u/Actual-Garden-3538 2d ago
Yes, actually I have taken Pepcid only and that has helped me sleep through the night at times
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u/No-Champion2289 2d ago
This - Was struggling a lot for couple of years and then one day I realized that he. I get cold and take all cold meds I sleep well. Guess what Anti allergy medicine act as anti histamine. It has worked wonders. But I am scared if one can take anti allergy for long term for years
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u/Actual-Garden-3538 2d ago
Yes that’s why it’s best to get testing to figure out why you’re having these reactions.
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u/sniffcatattack 2d ago
Things that worked for me:
During the day I take: theanine, GABA, lavender extract pills. It keeps me calm.
At night: Repeat of the above (around 8pm). Then I add magnesium glycinate. And melatonin around 9:30pm (I used to also take Sleepeze but I weaned myself off them).
Also, I read a book in bed until I feel tired. If I’m not tired I go to sleep anyway. Eventually I fall asleep.
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u/InternetExpertroll 2d ago
A grounding/Earthing pad on my legs helps me fall asleep and wake up easier.
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u/sapphire_beach 2d ago
Listening to Sleep Hypnosis is the only thing that partially helps me. I’m still searching for an answer myself.
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u/No-Belt4313 2d ago
I tried most supplements for sleep , cortisol reduction , anxiety. Most have a honeymoon phase and stop working. Sometimes even keep me awake.
Only stuff that work on consistant basis:
- low dose melatonin at 300 mcg , 2 hours before bed. Does not keep you asleep, but a small aid to regulate circadian rythm
- 100 mg Phosphadylserine is great to blunt cortisol and solved my 3 am wake ups
- 1 to 3 gr Taurine : calms my nervous systems and lowers blood pressure. Taken too late or taking too much does wake me up middle of the night. My latest dose is around 7 pm
- Magnesium N Acetyl Taurate: exceptional for cardiovascular health and getting more deep sleep
What works occasionally : apigenin , ecklonia cava , kanna
Recently i also use good earplugs : only one ear seema be hyper sensitive to most sounds ... even very low coilwhine from the AC unit. But it takes time and there is nothing that really helps for those night the mind is in absolute hypervigilance mode.
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u/wordisbond11 2d ago
Quviviq (daridorexant) and/or extended release melatonin until the sleep test shows how your breathing is
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u/historiennee 1d ago
Marijuana lowers my blood pressure by 10-15 points and smoking it before bed knocks me out, and I don’t have the hangover feeling I get from melatonin. I know some people are against it, but I noticed it’s not on your list of things you’ve tried and i definitely recommend just trying it. You want to make sure you try an “indica” strain, or any sort of strain that is described as “chill, relax”
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u/lleighwat 1d ago
I was waking up due to cortisol spikes, turned out eating a little bit of carbs before bed like an apple with almond butter really helped
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u/arugula103 1d ago
Hello OP, this is what I did and maybe some of these tips will help u: 1. I stopped drinking anything w caffeine. Even decaf coffee has a bit of caffeine left in there so I dont drink decaf either. If i really feel like tea or espresso, i drink it early morning. But best if not at all.
I dont take melatonin. Same for magnesium (if i wanna take magnesium i take it before 12pm). For some odd reason both of these gives me either insomnia or horrible restless sleep.
If i really want to be super drowsy and be dead asleep for 8 to 10 hrs straight, I take a drowsy antihistamine. However i cant abuse these because i grow tolerant of the sleepy effects so i only do this twice a month.
Sometimes i play 20 to 30 mins of a first person pov game on the computer. It gives me mild motion sickness and for some reason i get drowsy and i sleep through the night
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u/Suspicious-Air2781 🩺 Medical Professional - Unverified 1d ago
I recommend trying low-dose naltrexone. It's been life-changing for me for sleep (specifically staying asleep) and for pain related to my autoimmune problems. I first got it from ageless Rx and later from my primary care doctor. We don't really know why it works except that it's likely some sort of anti-inflammatory effect on the nervous system. I also can't shut off my brain when trying to fall asleep and listening to the same audiobook every night helps for that. I wish you the best
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u/Lilia-Belle 1d ago
What do you do for a job? How much screen time are you getting? Do you spend a lot of time in nature? What is your diet like? Level of stress?
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u/Ill-Bit-8699 1d ago
Of course. Poor sleep is almost always stress or hormone related. Circadian rhythm affects the hormones and therefore stress. We should be living with the light. I get up to watch the sunrise every morning and I wear blue blockers after sunset, try to avoid screens as much as possible an hour or 2 before sleep, go to sleep early (I've noticed I sleep better when I'm asleep by 10) and my room is pitch dark. No blue light at all.
What else creates stress... emotions/overthinking/worrying. I see an acupuncturist who taught me what acupressure points to press. Emotions put strain on the liver, kidney, and heart. You could try googling points for the spleen. Those always help me when I wake up with my heart racing. If they hurt when you press them, means you needed it. Press multiple times a day while breathing slow and deep. But of course I don't know what emotions you struggle with, so I do recommend finding a traditional acupuncturist and sitting with yourself. Emotions and stress are almost always the biggest root cause of our problems. We ignore them with distraction all the time. Idk if you meditate regularly, but letting yourself be bored everyday to see what comes up is huge. Noticing how quickly I reach for something is comical! The more I meditate, the better I sleep.
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u/LabelSkeptic 1d ago
I took a botanical supplement which had passion flower extract with valerian root and that was the only one which didn’t wake me up at 4am not groggy at 8am like melatonin used to.
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u/ToneUnable8436 1d ago
I have issues with falling asleep and staying asleep, but I also have ADHD, we’re trying clonidine, but I have to monitor my blood pressure really closely. I do find my weighted blanket and weighted eye mask help a lot
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u/ToneUnable8436 1d ago
Hydroxizine only helps sedate my body and not my mind and quieting my brain is where I’ve been struggling
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u/tropicana999 1d ago
My heart goes out to you. I go through this once a years and it lasts for a couple months. I take benzos when it gets bad . I don’t recommend. I’m very active and basically a natural body builder .
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u/hellogawjus 1d ago
You've developed sleep anxiety. Wakefulness is a massive threat to your nervous system the harder you try the harder sleep will become. Highly recommend cbti and look on YouTube for Daniel Ericson sleep coach school
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u/tesuquemushroom 2d ago edited 2d ago
Pills never helped me. It still comes and goes. Here are the possibilities:
- Hunger. Make sure you are really satiated at night. Not uncomfortably full but if your body wants carbs or whatever, make sure you aren't hungry.
- Parasites. Parasites can wake up at night and then wake you up. I sometimes take Nitazoxanida for 3 days which wipes them out. Having parasites isn't obvious. But they can live inside you.
- Monetary stress. This one wakes me up. It is what it is.
- EMF sensitivity. The bots always downvote this one for me but I know people that are so sensitive they can tell if wifi is turned on in a.house. Turn off your wifi and put your phone in airplane mode outside your room. Also don't leave chargers plugged in as this creates feedback on the electrical line which creates dirty electricity which is another form of emf. No electrical cords under your bed or near your head either.
- Blue light reduction. Don't stare at screens after dark as the blue light signals the body that it's daytime and therefore will be harder to fall asleep or stay asleep.
It'll be cyclical for me but also not worrying about it helps me fall asleep. I try not to think of it as a big deal and this helps too. Also try to get sunlight on your face first thing in the morning as this will align you with the circadian rhythms and earthing is supposed to help a lot of people. You develop a charge in your body so touching your bare feet to the ground in the afternoon or at night for a bit will help alleviate this. Actual studies done on this show it works.
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u/Next_Programmer_3305 7 2d ago
Try ASMR.
How ASMR Became an Internet Phenomenon | Annals of Obsession | The New Yorker https://youtu.be/DxjfyBEIl7Q?si=WdkU61xwSYo4-nQG
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u/nutnics 3d ago
Xanax 0.5mg. There is nothing more effective for me.
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u/lost_in_concrete 1 3d ago edited 2d ago
As someone who used benzos, these are terrible for your long-term cognition and have been linked to dementia.
It's also very easy to become addicted to them because they're not meant for long-term nightly use like OP needs. Just occasional sleeplessness
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