Sleeping really badly

[LF87]

Hi.
For a week now I've been sleeping really badly. I had one bad nights sleep then have worried ever since about not sleeping. This has caused me to sleep really badly. I'm only getting about 4/5 hours a night and I'm really scared it's damaging my health. Last night was the worst so far. I didn't get to sleep til 6am and I woke at half past 10. That's the longest its taken to go to sleep.
Now the pressure is really mounting to sleep and that's making it worse. I don't know what to do. I'm very upset about this and worried it's going to get worse and that I'll get heart disease or something from sleep deprivation.
Can anyone help?

[SADnomore]

Oh, boy, been there! Worst it ever got was like, 3 days without sleep. Crazy-making stuff, I know. Have you tried a good sublingual (under the tongue) melatonin? Since you probably are finding yourself jerking awake during sleep attempts, I would buy two kinds, one at least 5 mg, maybe 10. The other less, 3 mg even 1 mg. Take this a little earlier than your ideal bedtime once you are in bed and try to relax and assist the drowsiness. Let the tablet dissolve slowly on it's own under your tongue. It is important to lock in your ideal sleep time, as that is what melatonin does, it resets your sleep schedule. It is something your body already produces, so after the first night or two you should switch to a lower dose, for up to two weeks. Should be reset by then. You can take a break for several days and take a course of two weeks again if necessary. If this doesn't work, then see your doctor, but be advised: benzodiazapenes are highly addictive and even 30 nights could have you dependent on them. Honestly, as pleasantly relaxing as they are, they are equally addictive. There are anti-depressants that offer sleep benefits, you may want to discuss those with your doctor, if you are living with anxiety and depression.
Good luck xx
Marie :hugs: