Past wk just began to have difficulty falling asleep before 1 am (wide awake!); so hard to get up in am; sleep thro alarm. sleep aids don't help. why?

Numerous causes: There are numerous causes of difficulty sleeping. A common cause would be stress. You should try to practice good "sleep hygiene." Please search for "sleep hygiene" as the details are too much for me to go into on this forum. Simple things like no alcohol before sleeping and no technology in the bedroom are good starts.

Not sure.: Possible causes of insomnia include poor sleep hygiene, traveling with change in time zones, chronic pain, frequent night-time urination, problems breathing, shift work, anxiety disorders (esp. PTSD), depression, bipolar disorder, stress, medications (i.e. stimulants), caffeine, alcohol, eating large amts before bed, aging, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, etc.