Things Ive found that help me fall asleep when its been 30 min and I still am wide-eyed tossing and turning:
Music.
The more boring and repetitive the better (rap doesnt work for some reason …)
Music to Promote Sleep
Reading.
Ditto the boring part. Something like Handbook of Veterinary Nursing works a treat.
Quiet. Dark. Cool.
62ºF is perfect for me to snuggle under the blankets. BlackOut drapes help to keep the room absolutely pitch dark. Even the LED glow of a radio can short circuit melatonin production and mess up sleep.
Supplements for sleep.
Melatonin 5 mg works for me. Lots of supps out there, so if one doesnt work, try something different. L-Theanine is another that some like. Valerian smells like dirty socks to me but if you can stand it, drink the tea.
.For those who can’t afford heavy drapes, or want to cool a room without electricity, there’s “poor man’s air conditioning”:
Aluminum foil taped shiny-side out to the windows. Opaque and cheap. Screw the neighbor’s.
If you made the mistake of moving into something with a fascist HOA (yes, that IS redundant), you may be SOL. but I get to sleep from 04:00 - 17:00 even with a 6’ sliding glass door.
A trick I read on, I believe, Scott Adams’ blog that has worked well for me is: when you have a hard time sleeping don’t think of dialogue. No people talking or singing or saying anything. Just images without any speech and that will help you relax enough to sleep. It seems silly but it really seems to work.
