[Silvan]

Hi Dez,

I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this. It sounds really scary and I imagine it's taking its toll on your mental and physical health.
I would recommend to try the following things:

• Avoid exposing yourself to disturbing content (horror movies, upsetting videos/articles, negativity coming from the TV/radio news etc.). And definitely don't do that soon before sleep time.
• Try to incorporate some relaxation into your bedtime routine. It would be great to limit screen time before bed, too. Perhaps there are some relaxation techniques that work for you particularly well, but if you don't have any ideas, I'd recommend drinking camomile tea, taking a bath/hot shower, stretching, listening to calm music/sounds, burning a lavender candle/using lavender oil.
• Add a constant source of light into your room. This one was most important to me when I was experiencing nightmares in the past. It doesn't have to be some strong ceiling light that you use during the day (this type could make it even harder to fall asleep, as the room would be simply too bright). I used a lava lamp which was on the whole night. There are many different types of night lamps you could try. To me this one was important because sometimes I would wake up in the night, and I had the unsettling feeling there's something/someone out in the darkness, but once I started using the lamp, I was able to see my room was empty and there was nothing to be afraid of
• Once you are ready, try to make your sleep schedule as consistent as possible (meaning: make your bedtime and wake up time same/similar every day).

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you use any of the tips provided (and if they worked). I really hope you get better soon. Fingers crossed!
xx Sue