I would recommend finding a good sleep specialist who can work with you on your medications and sleep habits. I have been doing this for a couple months now and though I still struggle, I feel like I am slowly getting better. I would recommend this for you, too.

Bring this issue to your doc. It's important that sleep improvement be included with whatever other issues you're working on, preferably with a comprehensive treatment plan.

Hi Ingray. You do not have to explain us how does it feels after the sleepless night. Good doctor is a must and thirst thing to do. Then, focus on healthy eating. Make a healthy eating your priority. There is a post there where I shared some hints on a good food. It will not solve your problem right away. But, believe me, it will significantly change the way you feel if you did not sleep the night before. I eat every 1.5-2 hours right now. And I feel very relaxed after a good meal, multiply it by number of meals a day and you will see that your Anxiety will be getting better.Read a book "Effortless sleep method". I am sure every insomniac benefits from it. There are many other medications that might work better than your current drags. Good luck and keep us updated.

I read that effortless sleep method book, it didn't do anything for me and I followed everything it did, I don't ever think about what time I'll get to sleep or how I am going to sleep, I don't nap during the day, sometimes I sleep in altho it doesn't matter if I'll get up at 7:30, 10:30 or having a sleep less night I still can't sleep the next night. Altho I do mess my sleeping pattern up but I can't keep it on track say may fall asleep at 3am or 5am. I also try to exercise when I can but since it's summer here in Australia and it's very hot atm I find it harder to exercise. I can't remember what else it said but what seemed to really work for me is if I have a daily routine. My insomnia started after I graduated high school (I am only 19) so when I was in school I slept perfectly. For 6 months last year I did nothing because I thought I had got a job earlier in the year turns out I didn't and I tried to apply for other jobs and that failed. Still had alot of trouble sleeping. Then I went to go and study a short 6 month course on a introduction to film at a TAFE and while I kind of enjoyed it, I didn't really want to take the next higher course. I was sleeping a lot better when I was going to tafe I did have the sleepless night on occasion but I was sleeping heaps better when I was going. Now I am considering to do a security course and become a security guard because I have a best mate that does this and he is someone that can help me out to get a job but also help me out knowing what it's like to be a security guard. But I don't want to do anything until my sleeping is completely on track and I am just sleeping perfectly every night.

I think it is a bad idea to wait until you are sleeping well. Life is rarely perfect. If you wait until everything is perfect you may accomplish nothing. Today is the day to move forward in life.

Go to Wal-Mart.

Buy a bottle of Milk of Magnesia. Take some and come back and tell us how you feel. Lack of magnesium causes insomnia and anxiety and is necessary for everything to work.

Look, it's only $3.57
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Original-Flavor-Milk-Of-Magnesia-26-Oz/15754359

But don't take my word for it. Have a look at what others are saying.
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Insomnia/forum/12538327-milk-magnesia-sleep

Good Luck to you. Hope you come back and tell us that you too have slept like a log.

igray...ME TOO...Wide awake most of the time...
The Magnesium thing that brut...mentioned seems logical...or at least worth giving a shot.

I have some in the house and Im taking it today.

Not sleeping has turned me into a different person and I hate it as well.

I suffered from chronic insomnia for almost 5 years. Yes, I said sufferED. After 15 prescribed medication, 16 doctors ranging from sleep specialists to acupuncturists, dozen of tests, countless supplements and over 20 thousand in med bills, I found the cure, and it was non of the above. Im not selling anything, Im just here to share my experience. The solution is not a pill that takes it away nor is it a single line of advise, its a lot more complex than that. Please note that this is simply my experience, I don't claim to be an expert in this matter. Here goes...

I was 24 when my insomnia started. My sleep disorder is such that I found it hard to fall asleep, and if I did I would wake up 4 hours or so and often would not be able to go back to sleep. I experience many physical symptoms such as heart palpitation, constantly needing to urinate, acidic stomach, nausea, headaches, shaky hands, extreme brainfog, weakness of the body and a malaise feeling I can't describe with words. And I did not feel sleepy at all. Before this started, sleep came easily and effortlessly.

I saw a doctor who then prescribed sedative psychiatric meds along with sleeping pills only when I needed them. The meds helped. I was sleeping about 7-8 hours. It was not as good as natural sleep of course, but I had to make do with whatever I can get. After a year, I decided to taper off some of the meds as they we a lot(5 different antidepressants...yes it was crazy and I wasn't depressed but it helped). That's when things got bad. Even long after withdrawals have ended, I still could not get enough sleep.

At a point of sleeplessness, I looked back on days I was able to sleep well(fall asleep quickly and stayed asleep) in the past year. There were only 5 days...Im not exaggerating. And I realized they were days I was sleeping in a strange environment, hotels or a friend's home. At the same time, I came across a book written by an ex chronic insomniac. I combined almost everything on it with some of my own techniques. It was really hard the first 3 days, then, on the fourth day, I felt sleepy for the first time in 5 years and I fell asleep and stayed asleep for 8 hours! I woke up refreshed. And it has been like that since. I now have my life back. The technique? Here is a summary...

1. I did anything I can to stop thinking about the sleep disorder. Its hard especially when I felt SO bad throughout the day. But I got myself busy, exercising, taking walks in new places, working on my computer at cafes. I stopped researching about sleep remedies.

2. Sleep time manipulation. I would go to sleep only when I felt sleepy. Duration of time in bed - just enough time to function well minus 30 minutes. If I can't sleep, I got out of bed and did something mundane till I felt sleepy before returning to bed. When time is up, out of bed immediately...no lingering. If I got almost no sleep, I still got out of bed. If I felt bad throughout the day, I reduce the "sleep" time by 30 minutes for the next night.

3. Absolutely no naps.

Hope this helps you. If it does, tell others. All the best!

Very practical.

Well discussed in other threads here.