Use something to fall asleep, and something else to stay asleep.
To stay asleep I use time-released melatonin or time-released valerian. I use one of them for 2-3 weeks and then switch to the other, in order to avoid tolerance.
Dosage is very important. Time released melatonin feels a lot stronger than the same dose of instant release melatonin. Taking too much can make you feel drowsy and brainfogged the next day. It's very important to experiment with the dosage and find what works best for you.
I take time released melatonin from Source Naturals and time released valerian from Nature's Plus.
To fall asleep I use a combination of:
- magnesium threonate
- bacopa
- tryptophan
- taurine
- potassium taurate
- gaba
- theanine
- glycine
- phenibut
- ornithine
- zma
- vitamin d3
- phosphatidyl-serine
I consider falling asleep to be a good time to take some important nutrients such as magnesium, which also help me sleep. Choose what you take according to the other goals you have. For example, if you want to improve your memory, use magnesium threonate and bacopa to fall asleep. If you want to feel less brain fog caused by ammonia buildup due to liver problems, use ornithine to fall asleep.
I never take all of the above together - just 2 or 3 things, and rotate them in order to avoid tolerance. I have carefully experimented with the dosage and I know how much and which combination to take. If you take too many things or in dosages that are too high you will get drowsiness the next day.
In addition to using combinations (something to fall asleep + something to stay asleep) I have the following tips:
- Eat an apple or something else containing carbs before going to bed. If the blood sugar level drops while you are sleeping adrenaline gets released in order to increase the blood sugar level. That wave of adrenaline can wake you up and keep you wide awake.
- Limit your day time consumption of caffeine and other stimulants.
- Set an alarm on your phone every day one hour before the time you go to sleep. When the alarm sounds, take your sleeping combination described above, stop working on the computer and watching TV. Try to do non-stimulating stuff.
- Stop planning the next day in the evening! This can fill you with eagerness, tension or anticipation. Pick another time to make plans for tomorrow.
- If all else fails, see a doctor and get a prescription for a drug. If the drug doesn't work, change it. For me, zolpidem (stilnox) works almost perfectly - however, I avoid it because it seems to be linked to cancer. There are other drugs which may work - for example, trittico is an acute antidepressant which restores the natural sleep architecture.