Sleeping aids?

any sleeping medication has just fucked me up worse and made me feel awful in the past. as if sleep deprivation wasn't bad enough, LOL. i avoid sleeping pills like the plague. last time i took one was like 5 years ago, as a college freshman before the pandemic.

I use klonopin to knock the edge off sometimes on nights I’m super anxious. My provider was okay with it since me and sleeping meds did not agree well.

Sleep aids are a slippery slope for me. Over the past year I relied on them to get sleep during times of OCD uprising. BUT then I had an insight that I would always OCD out about what would happen if I didn’t get enough sleep which would keep me up even more. So I would take the pill and within 10 mins or so, before I felt it, I’d fall asleep. It was a new ritual for me and I was becoming more OCD about sleep- so I added more rituals like sunlamps, avoiding light types, sleep sounds, etc. Those made the OCD worse too. It took me about a month or so to unwind that OCD pattern and lots of sleepless nights. Back to normal and now I just accept those random nights OCD keeps me up. I say this not because I’m against meds or anyone using them. You obviously know what’s best for you. I just want to share my story in case you get sleep OCD like me…it took me far to long to recognize it.

Thanks everyone for your responses!!

I don't use typical sleep aids but things like magnesium lotions and sprays, sleepy teas with ingredients like valerian and skullcap, and other bits and bobs.