unable to sleep from health concerns

I have somatic OCD too. I've spent many nights in the bathroom making sure I'm not sick to my stomach or bowels. I keep thinking something is wrong and I've got to make sure I can still use the bathroom and empty out okay. I do more than just check, unfortunately. I push and strain and stay on the toilet all night. I've been learning to start accepting uncertainty though. I say a positive affirmation: "I am accepting uncertainty and imperfection, and I am moving forward because I'm done with OCD. It's not worth it to me anymore." The thoughts and urges still keep popping up. So then I say "Silence Edvilster!" I gave my OCD a name. The name is O.C Edvilster because OCD is an evil monster. Then I just use Edvilster for short. By the way, I stole this idea from the movie "Luca." The boys in the movie say "Silencio Bruno!" to overcome they're fears. Doing this little step has really been helping me. And sometimes I just say "Silence!" Basically I'm just recognizing it's the OCD, and just like the boys in the movie, I'm going to silence that fear and move forward. No reassurance, no more checking. Just telling OCD to shut up, then moving forward. When I move forward I'm actually doing exposure therapy. Separating the OCD from yourself can be incredibly helpful. Giving it another name has helped me as well. I'm still a long ways from being where I want to be, but this has helped me a lot. I hope this is helpful for you.

Same. I have kept myself up all night bc of it. I am going to try the ideas in the above post. Im tired of sleepless nights.

I forgot something very important to add to my post last night. What do you do after you tell OCD to shut up? It's hard to move forward if what you want to do is sleep. So I'll tell you a couple of things that also help me. I noticed I had to do them last night. First I practiced some mindfulness. Then I started to sing positive and calming songs in my head, or just the tune. Hymns work for me, but pick what you like. I also like to create stories in my head, or let movies I've watched replay in my brain. I like fantasy and seem to have a pretty creative imagination. I just let my thoughts go where they go without judgement. Eventually I fall asleep. I may have to silence Edvilster a few times in the process, but these things help. I also practice breathing exercises with visualization. My favorite is going through groups of muscles from head to toe and relaxing each group as I go. Then I relax my entire body as a whole. I hope these extra things help. Sleep is crucial for our mental, as well as physical, health.

P.S. I don't know how to add my name. Sorry it just says anonymous. I'll use the nickname ERP4me