Lack of sleep starting to become a habit

[lolaragdoll28]

Every night I feel tired or not tired but go to sleep at 10.30 or 11 in the evening but I wake up at 2.30ish every night and then can't get back to sleep. This has been the case for the past year. It's starting to really bother me because although I can function in the day it's still making me pretty tired in the day. I only have max two coffees a day and it's in the morning only. I have tried pills but I don't want to get into that because I'm trying to already kick a pain killer habit. Iv been on paroxetine for depression and anxiety the last few years and this problem has only been in the last six months to a year. Any suggestions?
Many thanks
Lola

[lolaragdoll28]

Only bromazepam helps but a few years ago I became reliant on it. This is such a prob that today I had to miss college because I couldn't get out of bed! I have a lot of stress:had cancer at 11, toxoplasmosis at 17, heart failure at 27, and take codeine regularly as iv become reliant on it. I am a severe case I know! Haha! But I don't actually feel stressed or afraid to go to bed. I DO go to sleep in dark, do everything to help induce sleep. I often fall asleep but wake up a few hours later and don't get back to sleep. Now it's affecting me studying which is a problem. Doctors in this country are no help- I'm sure you'll appreciate due to my health since a child iv tried hard to find a good gp but there's been constant issues so I always had to go to France to be cured/diagnosed but live in UK.

[Jerry_NJ]

I am sure it is easy to find a good list of practices that help one get a good night's sleep.  I'd not try to recall them here ... but suggest for starters make sure you sleeping area is dark and quiet ... don't eat the couple of hours before bed time.  A lot of liquid. even water, in the two hours before bed time can force a need to get up, ant then it may be hard to get back to sleep.

Melatonin helps some, it is a "natural" ingredient that can help one "train" the body it is time to sleep...make that the same time every night.