Valerian finally broke my 2am wake up cycle, here is what actually worked

For months my problem was not falling asleep. It was waking up at 2am wide awake, then lying there for an hour. Baby finally started sleeping through and I was the one staring at the ceiling.

Here is what actually helped me, starting with the biggest:

1. Valerian root about an hour before bed. This was the main one. It does not knock you out. It just quiets the brain won't shut up feeling, so when I wake up I drift back instead of spiraling. Fair warning, it smells like gym socks on its own, so a tea hides that.

2. Same wake up time every day, even weekends. Boring, but it reset my body clock.

3. No phone after the first wake up. One look at the screen and I was done for the night.

4. Magnesium with dinner seemed to help too, though I cannot fully separate it from everything else.

I ended up switching from valerian capsules to a valerian and herbal sleep tea (I use the Secrets of Tea one) because sipping something warm became part of my wind down and I stopped dreading the taste. It is not a magic cure. Some nights are still rough. But I go back to sleep now instead of watching the ceiling.

What has worked for the rest of you with the 2am wake ups? Still hunting for anything that helps on the bad nights.