First, let me just tell you, you are not the only one. When I had my first panic attack, I got very scared and everything just hit me like a train. Anxiety, worry, strange pains and the worse, sleepless nights. I panicked about not being able to sleep and therefore I wasn't able to sleep. I know exactly how you are feeling, after a few weeks of almost no sleep, I thought I had lost it and I was in too deep and that it would never end. Let me just assure you that this isn't permanent and that you can change a lot but you have to put your mind to it.<p>Let me tell you what helped me: Questioning and Thinking, I will explain. Because of the panic/anxiety I had especially when I was laying in bed, trying to fall asleep, I also had a phobia of my bedroom and sleeping (this of course made it worse). I would lay in bed feeling miserable and not understand why my body wasn't letting me rest and why this was happening to me. I would lay there scared and all I thought about was that it would never end and this was permanent. But with the help of counseling and just experiencing the symptoms enough, something in my thoughts changed and I started questioning: "what's the worst that can happen? This can't kill me. If I don't fall asleep, I may not feel great but nothing bad can really happen." And with that, I slowly started to get more and more comfortable and having better sleep. Some nights are better than others and when they aren't great, it's not permanent. Get your head out of thinking in patterns, if you can't fall asleep, get up and read a book, get away from your bed, do something and tell yourself that you will fall asleep but if you don't, it's not a big deal.<p>Although I did use medication, try to go the natural route first. And try distraction as well, as others have mentioned, there is some great meditation and other kinds of music you can listen to to help you sleep. Just Tell yourself that it doesn't matter if you fall asleep or not. Understand that your body and mind know what to do and that they will do what is right. When you get the pains, once again, tell yourself that it may be uncomfortable but it is not permanent, it can't kill you and it doesn't have to keep you from sleeping.<p>Stay positive and remember that everything will be great. My email is in my profile and I would love to answer any more questions you have.