I don't even know where to start, I'd say I want advice but I don't know if there is any and I definitely want to vent. I know sleep issues are a super common comorbidity but whenever we fall into the really bad phases I feel like I'm in the trenches and I'll never see the end of it. My daughter has always been low sleep needs and fought sleep, I cried to her pediatrician during her first year over it multiple times. She stopped napping before 2 years old.
But now she's 3, she's too big and able bodied and will just get out of bed and turn the light back on. She'll move furniture to reach the switch. She usually falls asleep ok (if I stay with her in her room or cuddle on the couch and transfer) but like clockwork she's up from 12AM to 4AM, shift the window an hour in either direction. She gets 4 hours of sleep, is up for 4 hours, then falls asleep in a random spot in her room and I just let her stay down until we absolutely need to get dressed and go to daycare/therapy. She's getting about 8 hours sleep a day at 3 years old.
I have tried everything I can think of. Limiting screens hours before bed, shoving as much outside play time as possible, consistent bedtime routine, shifting bedtime 30-60 minutes, making a goddamn potion of sleepy time tea with Valerian root, melatonin with magnesium, and Benadryl mixed with her milk, joint compression, lullabies, stories, sound machines, different levels and sources of lights or lack thereof, EVERYTHING. I tried to intervene early and try to ease her back to bed before she fully wakes, I've tried to ignore her until she's flipping her shit and slamming on the doors.
I talked to her pediatrician and she just kinda shrugged at me, told me try Benadryl and to not overdue the melatonin.
Advice? Condolences? Reassurances? I have no idea what the purpose of my post is, I'm on 2-3 weeks of like 3-5 hours of sleep a night and my brain is mush.