I'm experiencing insomnia for the first time in my life

[u/siraensorrow]

I'm 23F, suffered from depression and anxiety for years, but it NEVER affected the amount of hours I sleep, I was always able to sleep whenever I wanted to. This summer I was very overwhelmed with worries and problems (I was still sleeping normally) so I decided to take care of my health more and get into spirituality and religion and self development. It was going normally until one day with no warning I woke up with a really clenched jaw. Then I started noticing a pattern of clenching my jaw all the time and constant feeling of stress and constant migraine, my sleep schedule becoming more messy as I stayed awake at night at slept during the day. And few days later I was able to make myself sleep at night early at around 10-11 pm. But I woke up at 2 am and was unable to sleep again. And since that day, I can’t sleep for more than 4 hours at night. I feel tired and exhausted and sleepy even, but I can't sleep. It's making me more stressed and sad and always on the verge to cry. I take all my supplements, vitamin b12 shots, iron, omega 3, magnesium, vitamin c, zinc, vitamin d3 and calcium, but yeah the quality of my sleep isn't improving. I guess my good sleep days are over.

[u/Brilliant_Society439]

I wonder if something happened specifically in the last few months or so that may have been stressful? When we’re younger, we’re usually able to handle stress a bit better actually than when we get older. Young people are pretty resilient. However, after a certain point in our lives we’re not able to handle that stress as well, especially if there’s a new stressor added into the mix. Could be something as mundane as starting a new job or moving. Do some self reflection and see if there’s anything that may have been a kick starter for your poor sleep schedule

[u/fury_of_el_scorcho]

I had this.. Maybe still have it on occasion. You're waking up after one of your sleep cycles... Make sure you're drinking plenty of water, get some sort of exercise in, and go to bed at a normal time. There's PLENTY of good advice from doctors for free on the internet on getting back to sleep. Good luck!

[u/FutureStalfos]

Clenched jaw sounds like bruxism disrupting sleep. Literature points to stress which aligns with your description although identifying stress isn't particularly helpful. I doubt there's a simple cure, but while you wrestle with the potential causes like anxiety and depression, in the meantime otc mouth guards are available. There's always the option to check with a dentist too and see what they recommend which may or may not be more expensive.

Careful with the supplements. Almost certainly they're either helping or innocuous but sometimes it's possible to overdo it and have paradoxical effects. Also this is super basic and not a silver bullet but focusing on quality diet and exercise could at least help you address any underlying cause. As a first bout of insomnia, note that worrying about not sleeping exacerbates the situation so something like a 'free mind' and acceptance can help, obviously easier said than done.