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What can i do to fall asleep instead of overthinking into hours of the night?

I have alot of trouble falling asleep at night because i over think, i lay there and work myself up untill im stressed i cry, my heart beats like crazy, i sweat, my chest hurts, i get this weird feeling where its like everything is rushing supper fast at unbelievable speeds but its also super slow like slow motion both at the same time like im seeing qnd feeling the world in two perspectives... i also get this weird visual go through my head where there is this constant flow of the foam beens from a been bag... i know its strange but just the simple thought of these been beans or the sight of them can make me a little anxious and it can be hard to breathe.
once im asleep its fine until i wake up again and it starts all over again. My partner gets angry because it keeps him up sometimes i try to stay quiet but some times kt doesn't work i also try cuddle him for comfort because it calms me down a little and makes me feel safe and that wakes him up also and he yells at me for it most the time now.

I dont have this problem if i try sleep during the day... i lived a nocturnal lifestyle before i moved in with my partner. I was wondering if there was anything i could do? Im getting help for my anxiety but ive only had two sessions so far and ive tried before but was never able to open up or once i did open up i refused to see the same person again. but my partner wont let me take sleeping tablets so i was wondering if there is anything out there i could take that could help me sleep that i could talk to him about  taking? Or maybe some suggestions or home remedies?
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517872 tn?1623105664
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That is a pretty good and comprehensive MH slideshow on sleep issues.
However I don't agree with using vlaerian. Although many people use valerian as a sleep aid, its effectiveness has not been proven. There is little consistency in the quality or ingredients of valerian preparations on the market today. There is no one compound which is valerian, rather there are numerous compounds in varying amounts. Most doctors don't recommend valerian to their patients with insomnia. People who take valerian should not combine it with other supplements or medications for sleep.
A little confused by this, Anxious.  Valerian is the number one herbal sleep remedy and has been for centuries.  I have no idea what you mean by there is no compound which is valerian -- it's a plant, Anxious, and like any plant, it contains a lot of different things in it.  One of them helps with relaxation and sleep for many people.  Its effectiveness has been proven in that it's been used as long as we can track its history in the places where it grows naturally -- it's one of the least controversial herbal remedies in existence and one of the most used.  I gather you don't really know much about herbal medicine, which is fine -- nobody has to use it.  But all herbs are plants, and unless the person making the preparation picks the wrong plant it's going to be valerian root.  It can be taken in several different ways -- as an herbal tea (doesn't taste that great, though cats love it as much as they love catnip, another herbal relaxant), in an alcohol-based tincture, or in capsules.  If you buy from a reputable company, meaning one on the shelves of a health food store rather than from some unknown source from the internet, these companies test their herbs for potency with the same high tech equipment used by pharmaceutical companies.  Tranquilizers were invented based on valerian and other herbal relaxants -- they knew they worked and used them as the basis for trying to invent something that was stronger and could earn more money than a plant you can't patent.  Does it work for everyone?  Not in the slightest.  Do drugs work for everyone?  Not in the slightest.  Is it as strong as Ambien?  No, but that also means it won't become as habit forming and will be much easier to stop taking.  It also isn't as likely to stop working for the same reasons.  I have no clue whether this herb will or won't work for this particular person -- usually herbal medicine uses a combination of herbs for sleep, not just one, as different ones contribute a little bit different reaction, so valerian is often used in a formula together with passionflower, hops, etc.  When you say it's effectiveness has not been proven, what you're saying is, don't use anything that isn't a pharmaceutical product, I'm assuming.  So I would assume you would also advise agains using modern agriculture, the wheel, the lever, the aqueduct, and fire, as all of these were also discovered before the scientific method and modern patenting existed.  Okay, I know, I'm getting a little silly here, but to tell people to not try something that might help doesn't seem helpful to me.  If it doesn't work, the person just stops taking it.  Unlike a drug, which can be very hard to stop taking.  Personally, it doesn't help me any, but that doesn't mean it won't help others.  I've found more benefit personally in homeopathy, using Calms Forte and a remedy called Sleep and one called Quietude.  Homeopathy doesn't have any active ingredients in it, so modern medicine considers it a hoax and a placebo, but it helps me sometimes -- and sometimes it doesn't.  Another widely used mild herb for sleep is chamomile, usually used in an infusion, or what we call a tea even though only the tea plant is really tea, but that's what we call it.  Here's my bottom line -- don't discourage people from using things that might help if you don't really have a mastery of the subject matter.  It's really okay not to have that, but millions of people are using valerian successfully.  Why rule it out?  As for docs recommending it, depends on the doc, I think -- medical schools are uniformly hostile to natural medicine of all kinds because it's economic competition -- this has been true since the beginning of allopathic medicine.  But doctors swear an oath attributed to the Greek physician Hippocrates, who was, by and large, an herbalist who, being in Europe, very well might have used valerian root for his patients who had trouble sleeping.
But the caveat above is also correct, if you're taking a benzo, it's safest not to use valerian -- they target the same neurotransmitter.
517872 tn?1623105664
There is a herb called Valeriana wallichii mostly available in the form of tablets that has helped me in the past. But if taken in more than recommended dosage it can have an opposite effect and act as a stimulant. I used to take half an hour to an hour before tucking into my bed. It is not something powerful but definitely something you could not get depended upon like you may on the prescription sleeping pills. However, I also believe that rather than finding an immediate cure, which can be important as well; the root cause of such issues is our thoughts that need to be addressed and treated. The patterns of thought that we allow or mostly are difficult to control or keep in check that steal the sleep of our nights.  Some people also call it the negative thought and such thought has to be removed either through counselling or with the help of medicine. Generally it is both. And while you are trying to address this sleep issue at night make sure you avoid sleeping during the day as that can also cause difficulty to fall asleep at night. Moreover, avoid  coffee or tea or any caffeinated drinks many hours before you intend to sleep and stay hydrated.  it is also important to turn off the lights and avoid light from cell phones etc just before going to sleep. And then there is also the concept of melatonin levels and diet that you can further research on Google.  I have also found that a gentle oil massage on forehead before going to sleep also helps. I have had good results with castor oil, olive oil, black seed oil and oils infused with lavender etc. separately as well as in combination.
Good Luck!
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973741 tn?1342342773
Hi, welcome!  Anxiety presents in some different ways for people.  I'm sorry your sleep is interrupted like this.  

I know that we do have sleep patterns or habits that we can get into.  If you always stayed up at night and slept during the day, your body may still be trying to adjust to the opposite.  If you ARE trying to do that, take no more than a 20 minute cat nap during the day and make sure you exercise earlier in the day. This helps set you up for being more tired and able to sleep at night.  It could take up to 6 months of trying to switch from a night time person to a day time person.  :>)  I was a night time person for eons.  I'd stay up super late and sleep in.  Loved it. I have kids and this worked just fine when they were little and slept in too. But dang, you have to get up for school.  :))  Anyway,  a couple of years ago I drastically switched my schedule.  Had to go to bed early and wake REALLY early.  It took me a long time.  NOW, I'm the opposite.  on the rare day I can sleep in, I hardly can and getting me to stay up past 11:30 which is already late for me is next to impossible.  So,  I'm just telling you this so that you also cut yourself some slack as you get used to a new sleep schedule.  It takes time.  

I'm so glad you are working with a therapist!!  Fantastic.  If you also need medication, no shame in that.  :>)  The beans from a bean bag sound scary!  That has to be very unpleasant.  Do you have a night time routine at all?  Cool, dark room, fan blowing for white noise, don't eat or drink a lot a few hours before bed, meditation and breathing exercises?  Sometimes matching your breathing rhythm when trying to all asleep too can help.  But definitely do a breathing routine when you are having that panicky bean situation---  breath in for 3, hold 3, breath out for 3, hold 3.  repeat.  Melatonin may help you without a sleepy after affect. You can get it at the drug store or health food store. Also, try a warm bath or shower before bed. Very relaxing.  good luck
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