The past 5 nights, I've had completely sleepless nights for 3 of them

[Ghostly]

First of all, I've been under a lot of stress recently with my dad dying a few weeks ago (who I had been living with) and my mother having to go into a care home due to her dementia. And am depressed a bit with it all.


Now I'm suffering from sleep problems, and specifically getting to sleep in the first place, which I have only very rarely suffered from in the past. Had the occasional problem getting to sleep in the past 2 months which I've very rarely experienced before.


But now it's got a whole lot worse. For the past 5 nights, I've had completely sleepless nights for 3 of them. I have a sleepless night, followed by a full night of sleep, then another sleepless night etc. However, before going to bed I can drop off to sleep usually when sitting at my computer or watching the TV, but then when I go to bed I might not sleep at all. So my insomnia is driven purely by anxiety with the source of my anxiety now being predominantly the fact I can't get to sleep. So a catch 22 situation. Will this eventually end?

[.Poppy.]

I am sorry about the loss of your dad. You have been through a lot, and it's no surprise your mind is running like crazy and anxiety is spiking.

You say you are falling asleep in front of the TV, could you put it on as background noise in your bedroom while you fall asleep? I know they advise against such things but when my anxiety is bad having something to sort of focus my mind on (usually a comfort show I've seen a ton of times) really helps me relax.

[Catkins]

Sorry to hear about your dad.

You could try setting yourself a strict night time routine before going to bed, do you read? I find reading helps me.

[Shinyshiny]

This will definitely end. I had this, worried I would never sleep again but all was fine. This will pass.