Hey...this is just the place to vent about such things. Folks here love dishing out advice about all sorts of things!

Are there any unusual stresses in your life that would account for the insomnia? The stress doesn't even have to necessarily be negative. (ie: a new, exciting romantic interest can make sleeping difficult....or anticipating a move to a new home or whatever) Anything that is weighing on your mind?

Also....did the lack of appetite come along with the onset of insomnia? That could also be stress related. But the two issues together also make me wonder if there is something else going on....a chemical or hormonal imbalance or hidden illness. Have you considered going to see a doc for some basic bloodwork?

I also suffer from bouts of insomnia very much like what you describe....and it turns into a vicious circle because every day you get a little more out of synch and the more out of synch you get, the harder it becomes to fix it. Here is what I do when I find myself in such a cycle:

I force myself to stick with a very rigid bed-time routine and schedule. Choose a set bed-time and a set wake-up time. Go through whatever bed-time rituals you usually do....and get your butt into bed at that time whether you feel like it or not. Then just lay there quietly and try to sleep. If you sleep a few hours and wake up at 3 or 4....stay in bed with lights out and continue to try to relax and rest, even if you don't feel like it...until your set wake-up time.

I would recommend around seven hours or so....so if you go to bed at 11pm, set your alarm for 6am.

During the day, resist all urges to go lay down again. If you MUST drift off, try to do so sitting up so you only cat-nap for a few minutes rather than fall deeply asleep in the middle of the day or early evening.

It usually takes about three days of this to start getting a full night's sleep again....and I make sure to stick with it for at least a few more weeks to help it "stick" and avoid the next bout of insomnia for as long as possible.

Those are my wholly uneducated thoughts on the matter......take 'em for what they're worth.