What can I do to get on a normal sleep schedule minus medication?

Meditation.
Focus on your breathing.

@fireside – oh, forgot to mention my daily yoga. That doesn’t really help either. I’m doomed to never sleep.

@please not to ask2:

I’m sorry for your frustration on Fluther and with your sleep issues.

I would start by researching the other meds you’re on; sometimes people have an adverse reaction. Perhaps what would generally make someone else sleepy, has the opposite reaction in your body.

Routinely, normal schedules; not eating or exercising too close to bed time; caffeine reduction; etc., are the places to start. There are lots of night owls here on Fluther, maybe someone will come along with some sage advice. Be patient!

Do you have a light mask? I find any bits of light that creep to my eyes can wake me up easily.

Good to hear you have delegated your bed for sleeping only. That’s a problem I have, I read in bed, and now I can’t read past a few pages without going to sleep even in the middle of the day!

Do you have a strict routine of the same time to bed and awake every day, including weekends? I find my sleep patterns get stronger when I keep up the exact same routine without even one day of skipping.

There’s also limiting stimulation for a certain amount of time before bed. No TV or computer before an hour, say. As well, limiting your caffeine intake overall is a good strategy and has helped others though not myself.

@dynamicduo – I don’t drink caffeine, so—that’s out. I do have a pretty regular schedule. even on days I have nothing to do, my puppy wakes me up so he can go outside, so—-I’m awake within the same hour every day. I try to sleep at the same time. I go through sleep phases—like for a week I’ll sleep all the time and be really tired, an then next week I won’t sleep at all. And I’ve talked to my doctor, and he refuses to acknowledge that I have a problem, and I really don’t want to add any more drugs because I take way too many medications as it is.

I do yoga before I go to bed, and usually—no dice. No sleep.

set an alarm for the same time every day (do just an hour or hour and a half more on the weekends)...and dont use your snooze-button
stretch really well before bed
then lay in your bed (same time every night) and tense up ALL of your muscles as tight as you can get them…then slowly, from your feet up, loosen up your muscles.
its so relaxing. its my favorite.

You could see a naturopath. Try some different herbs to help relax nervous system – There are alot.
Do you have an over active mind? If so, try and not over-stimulate your mind.

Always get up at the same time, every single day. Then only go to bed when you’re tired and ready to fall asleep. If you’re not tired, don’t go to sleep. If this means that some nights you sleep 12 hours and some nights you sleep 3, well, I’m sure you can find stuff to do while you’re awake.

Also, the distinction between “drugs” and “natural things” is a false one—the legal distinction between a “drug” and a “supplement” is that the former requires a doctor to prescribe it and the latter does not.

Melatonin is another natural choice for sleep enhancement. Your local pharmacy should be able to help with this.