Can't sleep?

Can life get any better?   First you loose your job, now you cannot sleep.

Its nature's cruelest revenge.  You are pushing your brain to its extreme.  You are concentrating so hard during the day that the only time you get chance to learn and reflect (and worry!) is at night.  This robs you of sleep, which in turn robs you of the ability to concentrate during the day.  So you concentrate a little bit harder.  Which then starts a vicious cycle that is really hard to break.  Sooner or later, your brain starts to switch off by itself, leaving you doing a really good impression of a walking zombie.

Sleep deprivation is used as a torture instrument.  You cannot let this continue.  Being made redundant is torture itself.  If you want to get back on top, you need to get some self control back.  So please give yourself a break and work on getting a good night's sleep.

These tips are based on my own bitter experience.  I genuinely hope some of them work for you.

1. If you really can't sleep, give up and do something else for a little while.  Walk the dog.  Watch a movie.  Then try again.  Sometimes you can't sleep because you're trying too hard.  When you give up and do something else, you are giving your over-active brain a chance to focus on something else.  
2. Get into a routine and try to go to bed at the same time every night.  It may be the last thing you want to do but your body will get used to the routine.  Sleep will come eventually.
3. You are not a robot.  Of course you will worry.  So let yourself have time to worry - but not where you are going to sleep.  Your sleep environment needs to be sacred.
4. Give yourself the ideal sleeping environment.  Remove everything electrical from your bedroom.  No TV.  No Smartphone.  I even bought a battery operated clock.
5. The ideal bedroom temperature is slightly cool and as dark as possible.  18/19 degrees Celsius and an eye mask from a travel kit worked for me.
6. Don't even think of counting sheep.  Counting is not exactly relaxing and your brain needs to relax.  If you like imagery, come up with a vision that relaxes you.  I use an Hawaiian beach scene that I saw once on Lost.  
7. Sleeping patterns are unique for everyone.  5 hours a night?  9 hours a night?   Who cares.  Go for quality rather than quantity.
8. Caffeine.  You know it keeps you awake.  But whatever you do, do NOT go cold turkey and try to give it up straight away.  It will make you feel dreadful (and I don't know about you but I need the buzz in the day!).  Instead, reduce your intake during the day so eventually you have less caffeine in your system before you go to bed.  
9. Do sleeping pills work?  Not for me.  They might for you.  But read about the side effects first.  Do you really want to be drowsy during the day?   The biggest ingredient of sleeping pills in anti-histamines.  Know what you are taking before you become reliant on them.
10. Do you loose more sleep because you're worried about waking your sleeping partner?  Don't.  You may want to consider sleeping on your own for a little while.  Not permanently.  Talk it through first though so there are no misunderstandings and give it a go.   Your partner should appreciate that there is something they can do to help - and will definitely appreciate their own undisturbed night's sleep.

Good luck.