Chicken-flavored, broth-based soup; two extra-strength Unisom, and audiobooks with a female narrator, light and ditzy stuff like Nanny Diaries, Clare Naylor or Candace Bushnell. And use earbuds so you drown out any other noise.
I'm seconding B-bob's advice. Meditation and exercise definitely help. Another thing that helps me is reading (an actual book and not off of a computer screen) helps. Drinking to fall asleep is problematic for a couple of reasons. One is that your dreams might be more vivid and unsettling and two is that all that fluid before you sleep might cause you to wake up more to pee. As other posters said if this is a very bad problem you need to talk to your doctor and get another prescription. If Ambien doesn't work let them know and they could prescribe something else.
Night light kept coming to mind reading the op. I was like the op when I first got my own room at 13. I would turn on the nightlight and play some music that would get me thinking good thoughts ie. Love songs to think of the girl I liked or whatever. My idea wouldbe to use a combination of 1.music, 2.nightlight, and 3.sleep aids to begin with. It's going to be a process and once you start sleeping well remove #3 in your routine. Repeat with 1&2 until you sleep well for several days in a row and remove 2 and so on. (1 & 2 are interchangeable) or you could add a #4 muted TV 1hr sleep timer, but if it sleeps while your still awake would be a scary thought. I'm not a therapist, but that's how I would go about it lol.
Weird, see a doc like everyone else suggested. If all else fails, move out of where ever you are currently living at. Scary stuff with that whole "tap tap tap tap" thing you said. Not trying to scare you bro but dang.
heavier curtains or blanket over your face? i find it easier to fall asleep in the country where nights are pitch black.
Meditate daily and maintain it for at least a month. Since it takes a while fir mind and body to adjust, I'd try to do it when you're awake as opposed to a quick band aid fix during times you can't sleep.
I'm at a bail bonds place right now. Frank's pizza is 4 blocks away and I'm very hungry. I'm considering making the trip over to grab some food. Does anyone know a place in the same area that's for good eating? Today was a fine day at work, time just seemed to drag by. Work was easy overall though, which is pretty good. I don't usually work on Saturday but it's overtime and who can't use a little extra cash? I'm pretty upset right now having to deal with this situation, because my family doesn't have criminals, it's my girlfriend's family. Ridiculous crap from a sleazy manipulative family. Oh, I forgot to mention they're all "Jesus freaks" that say "father God" and grace before eating. But honestly they've lost the little respect I had for them.
I bet you weren't afraid of the dark when you were a fetus. Maybe embrace the dark again like a vagina. Repeat after me: "The dark is the womb. The dark is my safety place."
I had a bout with insomnia for some time. I can relate and definitely feel for you. I would often lay in bed wide awake from 10pm until i could finally fall asleep around 2 or 3 am. Or sometimes i would fall asleep right when i went to bed but i would always somehow magically wake up around 3am and couldn't fall back asleep. It sucks when i have to wake up at 5:30 am to get ready work. I was miserable at work and co-workers often thought that I was hungover. I really don't know what caused my insomnia. I'm just glad I can sleep again but one thing I did is i removed the digital clock from my room because looking at the time while you are trying to sleep only adds to your anxiety.
Who's the mysterious relative? That sounds kinda sketchy. But anyway since it's mental you need to come to grips with your fear and overcome it. You're obviously stressing yourself out more by simply submitting to the fact you cannot sleep. Exercise in the evening (not night). Meditate a bit at night. And develop a sound routine that you repeat every night that helps you get comfortable before bed. It should help. And obviously go to a doctor.
