I just wanted to get some rest

Once I hit puberty, I became a bad sleeper.

Various remedies and treatments might help for a brief time, yet I remained tired. In 2024, I sought treatment for my insomnia, and I started writing about it, too. Please join me on my quest to just get some rest.

I’ve tried many remedies over the years:

• CPAP (I got my CPAP when I was 31, and it did make a difference. But my brain was stronger.)

• Ambien

• Lunesta

• Tylenol PM

• Benadryl 

• Melatonin

• Ativan 

• No caffeine after 1 PM, 3 PM (etc)

• Same bed time every night, including weekends

• Bed only for sex, sleep

• Warm shower before bed

• Herbal tea (often Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time Tea, but other chamomiles and tisanes, too)

• Warm milk 

• Snack

• No food an hour or so before bed

• Exercise 

• Yoga

• Meditation

• All manner of pillows, blankets, and sheets

• No electronics in bed

• Silence, white noise, rain sounds, music, podcasts of all topics

• Read something positive

• Watch a comforting tv show

• Grounding

• Masturbation

• Visualization: Safe/happy place, “I want to dream about X,” rewriting bad dreams, protective shield, “guardians/protectors”

• Repeat a mantra

• Counting sheep

• Cats, no cats 

• Spell/ritual/prayer

• Get up after 20 min if can't sleep

• Warm room, cold room, window open/closed

• Spend 10 minutes only ti worry about things

• Progressive relaxing

• Eye mask

• Lavender

• Night time lotions, etc

• No social media for day/weekend

• Air purifier 

• Humidifier 

• Night light, light on, no light

• Black out curtains