Waking at 3 AM every night for three months, perimenopause had me defeated. Valerian failed and traditional therapy missed the mark. Then I discovered CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia)—the gold standard GPs rarely mention. This is my raw, 4-week journal of self-led recovery: the sleep restriction protocol, stimulus control, and my supplement stack (magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, creatine). It’s an honest look at the grit it takes for a 43-year-old to reclaim