I am 16, and for as long as I can remember I have had extreme difficulty falling asleep. Once asleep I have no problems maintaining in this state, though the vast majority of nights I’m awake to see the sun rise even if I attempt to sleep prior to sundown. In fact, last night I had attempt to sleep at ~10:00pm and have been awake since (it is now 11:00am). The problem is not that I do not become tired, I have been tired for years. I simply can not fall asleep, even after consuming large doses of sleep aids such as Diphenhydromine (I have taken over 500mg at times, over 10x the recommended dose), Dramamine, 5-HTP, L-tryptophan, melatonin, and serotonin over extend periods of time.

Often I maintain a "semi"-sleep state throughout the night, it is more related to rest then sleep. I am conscious of my surroundings though I will sometimes have ‘light’ dreams and will feel slightly rested compared to a typical night. Recently all of these problems have become more frequent and sever. I have gone days without sleep and am beginning to fear for my health and mental well being. I have experienced mild hallucinations and degenerating cognitive ability, though both are rare.

Until recently (past couple of months) I was a very active person and I’m still in great shape, I have played Football since 6th grade as a offensive tackle and defensive end. I moved recently so I was unable to continue in the athletics program though I don’t think that it has much to do with my problem as I have struggled with it for over a decade. I am have started training in MMA (BJJ and Mauy-Thai) as well so I am positive that physical activity is not the problem (BTW, I’m 6’3" @ ~185lbs.) I do not spend excess time in bed when not attempting to sleep either. I doubt that it is a dietary problem and I don’t suffer from any kind of aches or pains during the night. I maintain a comfortable temperature in my room and my bedding is comfortable as well.

I have no idea as to what the problem could be, I have spent a large amount of time researching insomnia treatment and have tried nearly all of them save going to a physician/sleep specialist.

Please excuse any grammatical or spelling errors, I’m sure you can understand the reason for such mistakes given my situation.

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