This. Look into Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams, a popular science book about sleep by the neuroscientist and sleep researcher, Matthew Walker.
The health problems associated with trying to keep an unnatural sleep pattern are devastating.
Recently went through something similar. No change in my routines, but I would wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning and simply could not fall back to sleep. It lasted for several months, and then, for no reason I could identify, my sleeping pattern returned to normal. Unless you can identify some common underlying reasons like stress or anxiety, you simply have to wait it out until it resolves itself. I know it’s of little comfort to hear there’s very little you can do but push through it.
I suffer from insomnia, though it has gotten better with some changes.
I always go to sleep at the same time of day (if possible) and always wake up at the same time too, even on weekends, holidays, etc. In fact I wear a “smart” watch that vibrates several times at the right time of the morning so I have to wake up.
Light control: I have a red lamp that I use at night, I have an e-reader (instead of reading on a computer screen or smartphone), my computer uses a “warm temperature” at night and I use black curtains. My alarm clock glows a “sun color” in the morning, which supposedly helps. The part of your brain that controls your internal clock is sensitive to green and blue light, which (back in pre-civilized times) would not be present at night.
But first, I had to train my internal clock. This ironically would make my sleeping worse in the short term. I would pick a time (let’s say 8 AM) and then go to sleep 5.5 hours before hand (so 2:30 AM). I was actually finding it hard to stay up that late, especially since I had to do this for weeks. Once I was regularly sleeping 5.5 hours I would adjust the time I went to sleep by 10 or 15 minutes.
Today I generally go to sleep alright, but if I wake up for some reason I can’t fall back asleep. I’ve found no fix for that.
Huh. I didn’t think that’s where you were going with that. My (late) dad’s anti-anxiety med would make him fall asleep. To the point that if he took it too soon he’d pass out on his way to bed, though he might’ve been more prone to that due to having COPD. It definitely helped him sleep, though. I think it was Amitriptyline.
Your circadian rhythm might be a a contributing factor, also last month was the summer solstice when the days start getting shorter.
See 4th or 5th article down
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/chronotherapy
I was a first rate sleeper all my life. Worked nights as I was a natural night owl. But as I passed 60 that shifted, and for the first time, I had sleep disturbance, and began to wake before the sun! It was sooo irritating, grrr!
My Dr assures me it’s very normal, I am up often to pee, which is annoying too. Part of my issue was I wasn’t getting very resistive sleep, though I could easily go back to sleep. I had to try different things and shift my thinking a bit to manage it.
A weighted blanket really helped, (try a friend’s before buying, they’re kinda speedy!) Blackout curtains, (though I’d never been sensitive earlier!), zero screen time, 90mins before sleep, (tv or phone or device!), CBD gummies, (not marijuana edibles, no THC involved), which did help.
Just try different things, and keep trying!
Good Luck! (Bad sleep sucks so much!)
Good thing it didn’t progress to the point that you started to perceive auras and little bald doctors.
My ‘clock’ is so messed up, I’ve lost track of the days. I missed garbage day two weeks in a row. Got up to watch the local morning news only to find out they don’t have that Sunday.
Oh well. Still didn’t miss much.