new connection issues Dell p2422h to 2022 MacBook Pro

my dell p2422h monitor worked solidly as part of a 3 screen setup for the past 2 years. all of a sudden it stopped recognizing the HDMI signal from my MacBook Pro that I had been using all that time. standard "no signal" message. changed cable. no fix. tried a USB C port with a usb-c to HDMI adapter - worked on first USB-C port for a bit then happened again, switched to 2nd USB-C port and it worked again for a few days. Right before issues began again I caught a random OSD-style message on the monitor about system settings on the MacBook causing some kind of issue when it was in standby (Mac was sleeping). But when I woke the Mac it was working. Issues began again after I went to turn the monitor on while it was connected to the Mac (which was already on and being used). Reverted back to "no signal" message. Tried all three ports again and nothing worked. I also use a dell hub monitor u2421e plugged in to the MacBook pro's final USB-C port and it has no issues whatsoever.

wish I would have caught the details of the settings error message on the 2422 monitor...