Bedtime anxiety

[BlueLlama]

The last few days have been better than previous days, with one exception. I get anxiety when I lie down to go to sleep. And then because I’m anxious and my chest is tight, I can’t sleep. So I try to distract myself, and when that doesn’t work I call the crisis hotline to get help grounding myself. Once was okay. Twice, a little iffy. But it’s becoming a routine. I’m in the process of getting in to see someone, but talking to someone will be weeks away. I just want to be able to sleep when I want to and without having to call someone for help. Does anyone have any ideas for what might help? It’s currently after 11pm in my time zone and I’ve been working on falling asleep since 9pm.

[SongAndSoul]

Hi.

Anxiety before bed time is common.

Do you see a Psychiatrist?

I think you should explain this to him/her.

Do you like YouTube?

There are many “Sleep Hypnosis” that you can try.

Deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation might help too.

I can give you some ideas on how to do the latter if you would like.

[BlueLlama in reply to SongAndSoul]

There’s new patient paperwork being sent to me, and it will be two or three weeks before I can be seen. I’ve tried sleep hypnosis and meditations, but they all make me feel uncomfortable. It seems the things that work for everyone else never work for me.