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Over the past nine months, I've been struggling with insomnia. At first it was anxiety, then it was due to significant life changes and now it's because of health issues.

I used to be a night owl, but I go to bed around eight or nine because I often get up early in the morning. I don't have a hard time falling asleep initially. However, I often wake up at two or three in the morning and can't fall back asleep.

What's your experience? What do you do to fall back asleep?

I take being awake at night as a sign I should be in prayer. Sometimes it is more contemplative prayer, sometimes in tongues, and often intercessory.

But when I'm really tired and feel I need a solid night's sleep I take pain medicine and melatonin before bed. Maybe this is cutting off the more valuable use of sleepless times mentioned above, so I appreciate the question.

I used to imagine a rock and add details to it as I spun it in my mind. Now I just take pills…
Checklist:
Phone or any other screens put away at least 30 minutes prior to sleep.
Cut of fluids 2 hours prior to bed.
Cut back or eliminate caffeine
Is your bed decent? Or is it starting to show it’s age/quality?
Do you have sleep apnea? Is it being treated? If no, do you snore? Might be worth assessing. Weight plays a serious role here.
Consider asking a doctor about mild sleep aids if melatonin doesn’t help. I take a 5 quick and a 5 extended. Personally I’m not sure if it’s placebo effect or if it really works.
Try to avoid the stronger stuff such as Zolpidem, I’ve seen too much dependency.
Stress management, try to do restful and relaxing things a few hours prior, avoid Mennonet or social media for several hours prior.
A doctor has further assessment capabilities and can eliminate medical problems or medications that could cause it too, but consider these as possible routes to check into.

At my age, it is normal to sleep 5-6 hours then awaken. I prefer the early morning hours. Hence my bed time is approximately 8:30pm.

To be able to do that I shut down my computer approximately 6 pm. Electronics (including telly) keep one awake and increase the likelihood of an adrenaline cascade which disrupts the sleep cycle.

This You Tube video my the bed, always calms me and eventually puts me to sleep.

I struggled with really intense and persistent insomnia for over a year, and chalked it up to anxiety.

Then I started getting chest pains that were just terrible, and breathing really heavy because I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I also chalked this up to anxiety and told myself I need to chill out.

Ended up at the doctor for an unrelated issue and found out I was severely anemic. Started supplements, determined the root cause, and my insomnia was greatly improved over the course of 6 months.

Just a friendly reminder that insomnia can be caused by underlying issues, so don't be like me and go to the doctor to get regular checkups

When I had trouble with waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning and not being able to fall asleep again until it was time to get up, my health care provider had me take 5HTP.

Tart cherry juice, honeycomb, melatonin, CBD oil, some strange blend of mushrooms and a small amount of black coffee at a certain time late afternoon.

Don't ask how I know all this

I couldn't fall asleep last night, so I started reading a novel that I've been wanting to read. It worked.

But then I had weird dreams.

I use Curiosity Stream. It has been working well for me, but then I wake up the next day really to have wanted to watch that documentary I picked and fell asleep watching, but can't remember which one I had picked.