All the other comments are tips to get you to sleep, putting yet more pressure on trying to actually sleep, which then makes it even harder. Then all the stuff you put in your body tires you even more and all the worry exhausts you, making things worse.
Instead of needing to sleep, just tell yourself that it’s fine if you don’t sleep at all, you’re in bed, you’re resting, and if that’s all you get to do for the entire night, you’ll do fine and have had enough rest to get through the day.
The act of letting go of having to sleep puts you in a state where you will most likely fall asleep anyway, and if you don’t, that’s fine too.
It’s found that closing your eyes and pretending to sleep (I listen to podcasts so I have more patience with this) makes you better rested than being up and about or laying in bed on a phone. If I genuinely can’t sleep, I reassure myself with that. Most nights, despite PTSD, I’ll get at least a couple hours of actual sleep this way.
All the other comments are tips to get you to sleep, putting yet more pressure on trying to actually sleep, which then makes it even harder. Then all the stuff you put in your body tires you even more and all the worry exhausts you, making things worse.
Instead of needing to sleep, just tell yourself that it’s fine if you don’t sleep at all, you’re in bed, you’re resting, and if that’s all you get to do for the entire night, you’ll do fine and have had enough rest to get through the day.
The act of letting go of having to sleep puts you in a state where you will most likely fall asleep anyway, and if you don’t, that’s fine too.
This is the way
It’s found that closing your eyes and pretending to sleep (I listen to podcasts so I have more patience with this) makes you better rested than being up and about or laying in bed on a phone. If I genuinely can’t sleep, I reassure myself with that. Most nights, despite PTSD, I’ll get at least a couple hours of actual sleep this way.