How do I stop my insomnia? ( I have been diagnosed.)

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My doctor won't give me sleeping pills because she doesn't want me to become dependent on them. I find it very difficult to fall asleep due to the anxieties I experience before I go to bed. I have so many worrying thoughts, painful experiences pop up in my mind as I fall asleep. I have nightmares of people dying and myself. All the worries I've repressed during the day come up when I'm about to fall asleep.

How do I stop become anxious before I fall asleep so I can get a good night rest? Thank you.

I know it might sound silly but have you tried doing head stands? They are really good for anxiety.

Getting yourself bored is a good way to make you sleep! Tie yourself up to a chair in the most boring room you have in your house! Then just sit there for hours.
...Okay, that's a little extreme (to me anyway) so do the things that you think are boring. What activities do you find to be boring?

Some sleeping pills can actually be bought over the counter or at any supermarket. For instance, you don't need a prescription for Benadryl.

Are there particular things that you find soothing that you could set up in your room before you go to bed? I use incense and put a recording of my favorite poetry on repete when I am having anxiety and concerns about nightmares. I get sleep paralisis and used to have horrific nightmares. I realise that those approaches might be impractical for people with different sensory needs, but if there is something that you personally find soothing, try incorporating that into your routine right before sleep. I also take melatonin regularly for insomnia and use herbs like valerian root and passion flower. The herbs have to be cycled, there is a chance that taking the same one for too long can cause dependency, but it is more likely that your body will get used to it and it will just stop working. They are fine for getting through particularly rough nights though. I find that once I break the cycle of insomnia with a few good nights rest I am able to sleep with only the aid of my routine and the meletonin. If you go the herb route do so with guidance from a doctor or someone who knows about plant medicines. I also find reading ghost stories bizarrely cathartic, I guess they are a way of dealing with themes of death in a way that is removed from day to day reality. Sometimes trying to suppress a fear makes it worse, but just saying that probably doesn't help much. I have no idea if any of this is helpful, but I hope you find a way to sleep better.

I use muscle relaxant herbs like Eleuthero, Kava & Valerian, usually in teas but occasionally made into tinctures, along with taking a melatonin supplement.

I also have extremely severe sleep paralysis and horrific nightmares and I find that certain herbal remedies only serve to make this worse for me.

Personally I find drinking water to keep hydrated and plenty of exercise helps me get a good nights sleep.

http://cathylynn99.hubpages.com/hub/How ... g-Insomnia

I used to have sleep paralysis until I began meditating in response to difficulties in my personal life. I'm going to ramp that up soon, but only experimentally. So much else in what I do verges on it...

Have a really loud fan in that background. It will distract you from your thoughts, but it won't keep you awake from being noisy.

The sound of traffic used to get me to sleep when I lived on a main road. Well, not actually on a main road but you know what I mean.

It sounds like you might have bipolar or be on the bipolar spectrum.

I would see an autism specialist.. They might prescribe you mood stabilizers/ an antipsychotic.

I used to have racing thoughts and not be able to get to sleep at all until I took the meds. That's what worked for me. HTH.

Oh well, it's time for me to get some shut eye now. Goodnight.

I went through phases where I had that & I found some of that herbal stuff made it worse as well.

Do you experience lots of anxiety stuff during the day as well Nate or is it mostly just when your trying to fall asleep? f it's during the day as well it would help to address those anxieties. You doc may feel safer prescribing you an anxiety med if it's causing problems for you during the day & some of those can make you tired as well.

Reading works for me. Or listening to songs. Basically anything that distracts me from my own thoughts, without requiring enough effort to keep me awake.