I spent 2 years trying melatonin before discovering there's an actual treatment for insomnia.
Two years of horrible sleep.
Not "a little tired." More like lying awake until 3-4am, sleeping a couple hours, then dragging through work.
I've tried melatonin, magnesium, sleep podcasts, sleep hygiene, blackout curtains, all the usual stuff.
Recently I stumbled across CBT-I and I'm honestly surprised I'd never heard of it before. From what I've read, it's apparently considered one of the most effective treatments for chronic insomnia, 76% clinical improvement rate in studies, and the American College of Physicians made it their official first-line recommendation over sleeping pills in 2016.
The sleep restriction part sounds brutal though. Deliberately spending less time in bed when you're already exhausted feels completely backwards.
Has anyone here actually done a full CBT-I program?
What was sleep restriction like during the first few weeks?