[DarceyRose]

Well I've never been able to get to sleep easily. Its always took my an hour at least of lying there trying to clear my mind and drift off, and most of the time it's much more. And also, like many children, when sleeping out it came for the games to end and go to sleep Id start freaking out as my friends would be asleep in minutes and I'd be on my own lying there. Then I would be nervous and start feeling ill and ask to go home.
I am 14 now and over the last year or so this had gradually escalated.
The last sleepover I was invited to (which was just after xmas as I avoid them now) I burst into tears and felt ill and was really scared. Luckily I was what my really close friends house so she and her mum was really supportive and helped me get through the night. I did it but I panicked so much and was obviously really embarrassed.
I want this to stop as I'm a teen and part of teen life is to go out to sleepovers and have slumber parties yet I freak out about getting to sleep so much that I've missed out on so much as I refuse to put myself through that stress and panick.
Yet there's another problem.
In the last couple of months this has begun at home. All day all I can think about is will I be able to get to sleep tonight? What if I get ill because I can't get to sleep and I'm ill all night alone and I just can't sleep. It really scares me.
I now refuse to go to bed if I haven't eaten in the last hour in case I feel sick from hunger and can't sleep, whitout a hot water bottle in case I get a bad belly and can't sleep and a sick bowl nearby in case I feel sick and can't get to sleep.
I would love to go to bed and just read a book or watch a movie yet I'm so panicky about if I can get to sleep ornot that I just try to get it over and done with yet I still find myself lying there an hour later still awake.
Don't tell me to just relax and don't think about it, I've tried it and it doesn't work because I just can't do it. I'm quite a hyped up optimistic person that always find something exciting out of anything so I can never really totally relax without opening my eyes now and then or something.
Esspecially this last week I've tried relaxing myself and that and I was getting a little better yet the other night I was awoken at 1 with pains in my belly and I was up for over and hour ill trying to get to sleep and its freaked me out again.
So I did some research and found somniphobia (hypnophobia) and I can relate entirely to people that suffer from it, yet I am not sure whether I have this as some say it's a fear of sleep which I don't have, I have a fear of that space of time of trying to get to sleep. I actually like sleep as my dreams are so exciting and vivid even though if I did have a choice I would avoid sleep altogether.
I also looked at the side effects of somnophobia and I have them all (apart from irregular heartbeat as I am not sure how to check that myself).
So please, I am begging you, help me. It's effecting my whole life. I've read things of people that have suffered this for 40 years and I don't want that to happen! Is this somniphobia and if not what is it? How do I stop it? Should I seek someone perfessional to speak to?
Thank you for any answers! Much appreciated.

[Fr_Chuck]

At this extreme you should get professional help, no one on the internet can help you if you are really this serious all the time.

1. you do sleep. Not everyone needs the same amount, I go on 4 to 6 hours of sleep a night, that is it, I have functioned for over 40 years of my life that I can remember on seldom more than 4 hours a night. That is my normal.
2. the hour before bed, no exciting TV, no video games, and NO food. Eating before bed is the best way to never sleep and to get belly aches at night.
3. hot tea or milk to relax before bed.
4. if you are not tired, don't sleep, wait till you are tired to sleep.

5. what are kids doing sleeping at a sleep over ? A sleep over at least when I was a kid or my kids were kids is where you stay over at someone house and watch TV till late at night and do things all night maybe going off to sleep when you are exhausted.
6. Exercise, during the day be sure to get exercise. Walk about 2 to 3 miles a day and about 30 min of real exercise a day min
7. eat 4 to 6 small meals a day not 3 larger ones.

Some of the most brightest minds in the world, do and live life with limited sleep.
You will note I am often online here till 12 midnight or 1 am and back on line at 6 am that is a normal for me.

I would say your one fear is you are not like others, who cares, I would hate to be like some others, I love being me. Stop worry and perhaps enjoy the extra awake time that life has given you, find some books to read, if you go to sleep over, take a book, if they sleep, you can read. Call them lazy for going to sleep.