I was diagnosed with insomnia in 1976 with Dr. Peter Hauri (very well known sleep psychiatrist) after 3 days at Sleep Clinic. I have been on sleeping pills almost constantly from 1976 until today April , 2019. I cannot fall asleep without a Temazepam. I tried everything that you might suggest. I read so many books. I write to doctors throughout the US, looking for help. I have an amazing internist who doesn’t know the first thing about insomnia. They receive about 6 hours of training in “sleep”.
I cannot get up and go to another room and do a mindless activity until I get sleepy. I never GET sleepy. I am always tired/exhausted. I also was seen by Dr. Quentin Regestein in Boston, who is supposed to be the man who knows the most about the mechanics of sleep. He could not help me. Many people have bouts of insomnia — not full blown, years-long insomnia. My problem is genetic since my son suffers the exact same fate.
My insomnia is of unknown etiology — I am not depressed, stressed out, unhappy. I just cannot sleep. In the past few months, I fall asleep almost immediately after taking a pill (something that NEVER happened in my life before). I hardly am on the pillow when I fall asleep, but I wake up many times during the night — I barely sleep an hour or so and am awake.