13 cures for chronic insomnia you’ve probably never tried

Can’t sleep? Tired of people telling you to try obvious things like melatonin or yoga? Here are some science backed tips to help your body get more rest. Read on:

1. 😰 Waking up at 5 am and can’t get back to sleep? Your insomnia might be caused by stress, aka high cortisol, aka high stress hormone. Cortisol levels increase as you sleep and can cause early morning wakening. Try phosphorylated serine, a cortisol blocker that soothes overactive glands or ask your doctor for a cortisol test.
2. ☕️ Too much caffeine? Try rutaecarpine, a supplement that helps your body digest caffeine faster. Rutaecarpine is an alkaloid derived from a Chinese berry that helps you eliminate caffeine by the end of the day and sleep peacefully.
3. ❣️Is your heart racing at night? Try magnesium supplements, you might be low. Substances like alcohol can deplete magnesium in the body, causing an overly fast heartbeat and anxiety.
4. 🍟 Magnesium didn’t work for the racing heart? Maybe you have food allergies. Food allergies boost the level of histamine in the body, which can cause insomnia, depression, and heart palpitations. Try the Everlywell kit for food sensitivities or ask your doctor about IGG testing (not IGE).
5. 💆‍♀️ Still feeling stressed? Try an acupressure mat, a mat that is a bit like a spiky massage for your back! The spikes gently stimulate pressure points in the body to release feel good and relaxing chemicals.
6. 📱Having trouble shutting down and falling asleep? Blue light from your phone disrupts your circadian rhythm. Try blackout curtains, blue light blocking glasses, and turn on night mode on all of your devices. There are even small stickers you can get to cover bright LEDS on devices in the bedroom.
7. 😴 Sleeping a lot but feeling tired? You might have sleep apnea, a disorder where you stop breathing intermittently in your sleep. Your doctor can order a test to see how well you’re breathing at night.
8. 😩 Still sleeping a lot but not feeling rested? If you don’t have sleep apnea, try uridine, a supplement that lengthens the amount of time spent in REM sleep (the very restful sleep you enter when you’re dreaming, helps boost memory).
9. 🐳 The supplement glycine also helps detox your body and improve REM sleep.
10. 🌻 Are you also depressed? Try 5-HTP, a natural and gentle supplement that helps boost mood. The body metabolizes 5-HTP into serotonin, a feel good chemical that makes us feel happier.
11. 🌸 5-HTP didn’t work? Ask your doctor about anti-depressants like Wellbutrin or SSRIs that increase the levels of serotonin in the body. Serotonin is metabolized into melatonin, the chemical that makes us sleepy and regulates our circadian rhythm.
12. 🌞 Still feeling jittery and tired? You might have low GABA, a calming neurotransmitter that acts as the brakes on the body. You can directly take GABA supplements or try a prescription med like Gabapentin, that enhances the effects of GABA in the body.
13. 🌱 Want a natural alternative to the last 4 above? Try mood boosting probiotics. Bacteria in your gut are responsible for producing 90% of your serotonin (and also GABA), the internal chemicals that make us feel happy and relaxed.

Last, but not least, here are more common things you’ve probably tried if you’re a chronic insomniac, but if not:

1. over the counter: benadryl, doxylamine succinate (nyquil), melatonin
2. prescription: ambien, xanax, lunesta
3. calming herbs: l-theanine, ashwagandha, reishii, valerian root, kava kava
4. behavioral: exercise, yoga, meditation, getting more sunshine, warm baths (a cooling drop in body temperature signifies that it’s time to sleep)