A lot of the standard sleep hygiene advice hasn't worked for me. However, I've been doing a lot to create a sacred bit of time before heading to bed to signal to my body that it's that time now. Examples include massaging lotion into my skin (I read this is one thing we can adopt from babies), breathwork, making a ritual of my nightly face routine and even doing so acupressure. I also found that exposure to cold really helps settle me (there's research showing that the vagus nerve signals for your body to "chill" when exposed to cold), so I often use an ice back on my neck for about 15mins before bed. This may sound mildly insane, but I'm a terrible sleeper and I've found that it's all trial and error. Whatever works for you during a specific period. Don't feel shamed into doing what's meant to be the right things. I fell into that trap. I do take meds about 2 nights a week for solid sleep.

I do need to work on a routine. I was doing well for a bit making myself read before sleeping (except when I get too caught up in a book) and not getting into bed before I was ready to sleep. Then I ran into a pain flare and have been spending most of my time in bed where I’m most comfortable.

A routine has helped me immensely! I also got an acupuncture mat from Amazon and I do that before bed and it soooo helps my body to relax enough to relax my mind and then I'm out. 😴

I take L-theanine when I'm having a lot of nightmares or waking up in the middle of the night multiple nights in a row

I use cannabis to help with inflammation but I don't take it at night because I will wake up hurting for some reason. I take muscle relaxers for my muscles and muscle spasms but when night rolls around I can't wait to go lay down. My body is always so tired.

Yes to the acupressure mat!! Game changer for me too

So some of you really think acupressure may help? I'll have to try it. If I could afford it I'd try acupuncture.lol. It's so frustrating to just lay there all night. Not even Ambien touches during my insomnia streaks.

Don’t be afraid to investigate a cpap machine if you have bad snoring, even if you’re young. It can make an incredible different. Just think of yourself as a cyborg.

I often have times where my body is tired but my head is wide awake so I sort of trick it by playing a podcast at very low volume. That way I can listen to something interesting but then as I get tired to right to bed without needing to shut lights off, etc.