go to bed and go to sleep, instead of lying in bed for hours staring at the ceiling because my brain won’t stop

I’m back to square one. I don’t want to be taking any meds to help me sleep. My depression has kicked in, but at least its under control for now. I can’t fall asleep. Once I do fall asleep, I sleep well for a good 1.5-2 hours then I’m up again. Yes, the anxiety has not ceased. My body hurts. My mind has its moments that I wish it would just SHUT UP! I need to remember the turn things over to God. I know that I will have plenty of time to do all the things I need to do. Everything has its time. I need to remember that. Why should I stress? Things are not great, but they are to an extent manageable.

Well, I’m back to the old way of going to sleep. I have no sleep medication. I’m going to try the natural way of going to sleep. I’ve heard developing a ritual before bed is good because it gets your body into a mode of “going to sleep.” I’m going to try reading a book that is fun (like MARLEY & ME). I’m going to start writing my gratitude list again. Remember to journal, even if I’m waking up at 2:30am. I’m learning if I say the same thing over and over, like a mantra, it helps me go to sleep. I like saying the serenity prayer because it reminds me that I can’t change things at that very second or even at all. I’ll just see how this works.

I have major depressive/generalized anxiety disorder, so I will always have sleep problems until I settle down. But until then, I’ve been prescribed Trazadone (antidepressant). Since I’m an addict, taking benzodiapenes don’t work for me. I’ve been taking Trazadone for about a 2 weeks now. Boy, will you be out within 45 mins to an hour after taking it. I will have to say that you need to time it well. I’ve noticed that I need to have at least 8 hours for it be completely worn off. But I do have to say that with 8+ hours of sleep, I can function so much better.

If you don’t want to take a prescription, you may look for melantin in your local grocery store. This is a chemical your body is suppose to produce when you lay in the dark. You may not be producing enough, therefore you toss, turn, and think.