Usually some combination of bad sleep habits and excessive worry about the idea of sleep. This is known as primary insomnia.

It can be caused by a medical issue like hyperthyroidism, allergies, apnea, many others. See a doc to rule out secondary insomnia caused by an underlying medical issue.

Thx Hyponos07: Hmmmmmm......yeah, I get major anxiety just about going to sleep. It's crazy. Everybody else seems to just fall asleep easily, I start getting anxious about getting anxious 4 hours before bedtime, and CAUSE myself my own issues, but its hard to stop, like a rat on a wheel.

I agree with Hypnos - the fear of not being able to fall asleep itself is likely preventing you from falling asleep. What a cycle! I'd tell you to try to quit worrying about not being able to fall asleep, but I know that is much, much easier said than done.

You could, however, try reciting affirmations in your head such as, "even if I'm not able to get much sleep tonight, I will still be fully capable of coping with my day" or "even if I don't feel well-rested, I will make it through the day." My mom also told me once that Einstein got only 3 hours of sleep a night! Not sure if that's a true fact or not, but it sure helped me not worry about falling asleep so much because hey, if Einstein could accomplish all he did on 3hrs of sleep a night, I'm sure I'll make it through the day.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is also commonly used for insomnia, which I did not know until recently. If possible, I think this form of therapy could be really helpful for you and the good news is that it usually produces positive results from just a few sessions.

Do you engage in any activities or routines before bedtime to help you wind down? For me, a hot shower an hour or two before bed helps, as does drinking herbal teas (chamomile is my favorite and I feel like it actually relaxes me). I am trying to get into meditation more, and this is something that could also be helpful before bed.

I really hope this helped at least a little. Take good care.

Hello Stimpy,

I can relate to the anxiety over not being able to fall asleep. I remember feeling so tired/exhausted from getting around 1-2 hours/night that I would lay down and almost fall asleep, only to suddenly feel a jolt of alertness keeping me from slumber. It was as if my mind/body would say "no, you are not able to sleep without medication" without me consciously thinking it.

Now that I'm on the other side and sleeping well, I've come to realize that I was stuck in a conditioned arousal state. I'd come to believe that I could not sleep without drugs. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I was able to break through by undergoing CBT-i (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia). It's was very hard for me to implement in the beginning but it really did "break" me free. As part of the CBT program, I had to stop taking any sleeping pills whatsoever.

The first couple of days I got no sleep at all and I was more anxious than ever. But on the 3rd night I got about 1.5 hours of sleep and it helped me to believe that I could sleep without drugs. I stuck to the program and I got progressively better. The "jolting" that had occurred before stopped because I stopped worrying about sleep. I was able to stop the worry by trusting in the program. It wasn't always easy to trust in the program but I kept repeating the positive thoughts in my mind and/or wrote them down.

If you haven't given a 100% to the CBT program, you should give a try. Studies show that this is the best method to cure primary insomnia (a/k/a psychophysiological insomnia).

Wildflower. Interesting about Einstein. I think I read that somewhere also. I had a revelation 5 days ago, you were talking about tea, etc., and I drink Green tea all day long, and keep two huge glasses of it by my bedside, because I wake up every two hours when I do sleep, and drink it all. I looked at the jug it comes in and it has as much caffeine in it as a can of diet soda! I was floored. I thought green tea was healthy. Sooooo.. I tossed it and bought caffeine-free, I am also following Hypnosis07 suggestions, and writing down my thoughts, but that can get overwhelming because just writing down my thoughts about my anxiety makes me anxious. But I think the fact, that if I realize that I am not going to die from the anxiety helps, and the reality of the worst case scenarios if I am sleep deprived helps also. I am in the beginning stages of trying these techniques, its hard, but if have to be disciplined and follow through. The last few nights I am down to 5 mg. of Ambien so I am proud of that.. I have no choice but to follow these techinques. I mean I DO have a choice, I can either continue to suffer, or I can try to get better. Thank you for your reply.

There's nothing wrong with taking meds to sleep. I do it too, I take Saphris, and it's the only thing that can put me to sleep. I would say if it's helping you don't sweat it.

I understand your pain... the bummer is that sleeping meds can be addictive. So part of what you're going through is a perceived (or even real) dependence on the Ambien.

Be sure to talk to your doctor about getting off Ambien, but - like the others have mentioned - it seems like anxiety and fear may be making this worse for you. Why don't you try journaling before bed? Not about anything in particular... just start writing. Fears, thoughts, dreams, etc. That has shown to be really helpful for a lot of people suffering from insomnia (including me!).

Hope this helps!

I have the same dependency on Ambien. I've been on it for almost 10 years. I hate it, because it gives me morning headaches, although seems to quiet the racing thoughts. First thing I do every morning is pop a few Excedrin for the headaches, which I know is not good. Recently 10 mg hasn't been working and I refuse to up the dosage. Been looking into Cognitive Therapy myself although my daily life and job is really built on my creative energy. I'm afraid that Cog Therapy will get me fired from my job as I won't be able to function. Although I'm not functioned to well as it is... so- Let us know if anything works for you Stimpy, I'm on the same journey-

Interesting comment filmguy about creative energy and cognitive therapy. As someone that's used CBT for over a decade now, my take is just the opposite might happen.

All cognitive restructuring does is enable you to re-think the idea of sleep. Cast in in new, better, and importantly, more accurate terms. If your old ideas haven't been working out too well, why not try a new and fresh approach.

It may be like lifting a huge weight off your shoulders.