Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia was the biggest improvement I have ever made to my quality of life. Like OP, I struggled with insomnia my entire adult life. I didn't realize that sleep was a thing that you could see a doctor about. I was sleeping about 4-6 hours per night before CBT and 6-8 hours afterward.
One of the amazing things about CBT is that instead of building up a tolerance, like you would with a sleep aid like Ambien, it gets more effective over time. It's self reinforcing, positive feedback loop.
My sleep isn't perfect, and I still take an Ambien every once in a while like on a red eye flight. However, if you're having trouble with sleep, I can't recommend CBT highly enough.
One of the amazing things about CBT is that instead of building up a tolerance, like you would with a sleep aid like Ambien, it gets more effective over time. It's self reinforcing, positive feedback loop.
My sleep isn't perfect, and I still take an Ambien every once in a while like on a red eye flight. However, if you're having trouble with sleep, I can't recommend CBT highly enough.