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I’ve had chronic insomnia for 30 years. My advice is to talk to your doctor or see a mental health professional, whichever situation fits you best. Just don’t ignore it. Not getting decent sleep can literally ruin your life.

If you go the medication route, do not be afraid to tell your doc if it’s not working well. There are lots of options and different sleep meds help different people.

Good luck!

Certain diets and lack of critical nutritiants can make it very hard to sleep.

If you can, try:

1. Requesting a vitamin D blood test from your doctor
2. Ensuring your getting enough potassium in your diet, especially before bed. V8 juice is a convenient method of adding potassium to your diet. Salads are also high in potassium. Morton's Lite Salt (half salt, half potassium) is another good way of getting more in your diet.
3. Consider taking a magnesium oxide supplement (500mg) with meals, as most people are deficient, and few foods have it.
4. Avoid caffeine entirely.

It's possible that you have what is called delayed phase sleep disorder, although I'm not sure it really is a disorder except socially. Some people are just genetically wired to be night owls, and there really isn't any way to change it. It's not a character defect, or insomnia. I've struggled with this my whole life. People don't understand, and they keep suggesting the same old things that I already know don't work.

It's hard to fit into the world with this kind of difference, but if you can rework your schedule, you will probably feel better. My sympathies, I know firsthand what it's like.