What to do when you can't sleep?

[ilovebunnies94 2]

I want to start this thread by saying I don't have or claim to have a sleep disorder. Well maybe I might have one undiagnosed but I think my sleep issues all root from anxiety exclusively. I suffer really badly with anxiety at night when I'm all alone in the dark with my thoughts and nothing else and when I do sleep I am usually plagued by anxiety fueled nightmares that I wake from frequently. The only relief I get from this is when I'm together with my boyfriend and he makes me feel calm but we don't live together yet so I have to cope with it on my own a lot. 

But I think it is most relevant in this part of the site and I hope that is ok.

 

My question is:

What do you do when you can't sleep?

 

When I can't stay calm and can't keep myself from thinking anxious thoughts at night so I can't sleep, I usually turn a calming podcast on (a story type of podcast so I can escape from reality is my choice) and focus on every single word and detail to distract from my other thoughts. This sometimes works but sometimes it isn't enough. 

When I need comforting and calming, I try to make a hot water bottle and cuddle a stuffed animal and it feels almost like having something soft and warm and real comfort you so it helps a bit. 

Those are the only solutions I have thought of so I'm interested to hear how others cope.