I've used sleepy time tea with chamomile a couple times, but I was already so tired that I doubt the tea had anything to do with me falling asleep. I usually drink it instead of a caffeinated tea, which I know is sure to keep me wired.
Melatonin. Run to the 24 hour pharmacy and pick up a bottle of melatonin. I started taking it in undergrad when I was too wound up to go to sleep for various reasons, and it still helps when I'm too stressed out to simply lay down and sleep. It doesn't overpower you, and you can shake off the creeping feeling of sleep if for some reason you need to get up and drive. It's never left me groggy in the morning and the only side effect I know if is the tendency to experience extremely vivid dreams.
George Carlin. I've got all of his hbo specials on my laptop and I think I've got every last one of them memorized by now. Every night when I've finally gotten through all the bullshit I have to do on the computer, I throw on a special and I'm out within 20 mins.
Yep, I've had good results with this. Only downside is I have to order online because it's technically not legal in Australia (nothing is...). I frequently have problems with insomnia, so I've also tried Ambien which is terrible because it puts you to sleep but you wake up feeling as though you've just come out of a coma. Benzodiazepines seem to work well for me, as they're a muscle relaxant and I tend to toss and turn a lot before I fall asleep. Temazepam specifically works wonders but is difficult to get and can't be taken every night (because of tolerance/dependence issues). My favourite non-pharmaceutical sleep aid is boring music. Norah Jones is most played on my LastFM page by about a factor of two. "Deep House" music is the best. Just a steady beat, some harmonies, and I'm out like a light. Oh, and of course, a glass or three of red wine.
Couple of Paxil or Cymbalta work excellent. I take them for general anxiety problems. If I ever really need to sleep I'll pop 3 or 4 and have a few beers and sleep like a baby. Not trying to advocate prescription drug use but it's just what I do when I know I need a good nights sleep. On a normal night I only get 4-5 hours of sleep. Either of these are very easy to get from a general practice doctor if you think you need them, just make a good story.
Now I know that not everyone is on the same time zone, but I think it funny everyone giving advice about how to fall asleep are still awake this late. With that said, I always take a little walk to the beach. I don't know if it’s the darkness, sounds of the waves, or the walk but when I get back I can crash pretty quickly.
There is tryptophan in milk. Excuse me for this very unscientific explanation, milk has one of the higher levels of tryptophan in something that isnt a protein (think eggs, or turkey). Most people associate it with the feeling they get after a turkey dinner because they are so tired - there is also tryptophan in turkey. Tryptophan helps product the b-vitamin Niacin which helps the body produce serotonin, which is a calming chemical and voila sleep
Give me some chill music and I'm out within minutes. Iron & Wine I love, but throw it on and I will not be conscious in 10 minutes. I'll also mention sex/rubbing one out. Who cares about anything after you get off. There isn't anything that can't be put off until you wake up. (Unless of course you're hungry in which case she should have a sandwich ready anyways.)
Back when I was dating a girl with a steady supply of prescriptions available, it was some combination of liquid codeine, skelaxin and ambien (2 of those three). This wonderful concoction, then some really wild sex, and I'd be pretty much down for the count and I'd wake up feeling just capital. These days I have to rely on more natural methods, and I've found that a magnesium supplement before bed not only helps me get to sleep, but I also seem to have some crazy dreams.
I make films in my head. I normally pick a film that I like, but which I would have liked to have seen handled differently. I then 'design' the look, think about casting changes, plot differences etc...I don't know what it is about the whole process, but it normally sends me off quite quickly. Plus, it's fun. Also, if I go to sleep lying on my back I normally have nightmares, so a combination of the two can make for an interesting nights sleep.
Deep breathing coupled with meditation. Deep breathing lowers CNS activity and meditation "unclutters" the mind. Yeah, I thought this was all bullshit, too, but it's practice was part of a class I took last semester (coupled with biofeedback sessions). It took some getting used to and a certain measure of discipline to continue, but once I got the hang of it, it really worked, so much so, I was able to go off Ambien. I also use deep breathing for 5 minutes before taking a test and I found I was much more relaxed, alert and better focused. And it's a lot cheaper than the bottle of Jager and Xanax Rx I used to use (not to mention, no hangover).
Most of the time, my trick for getting to sleep consists of crawling in bed and placing my head on the pillow. I'm usually out in 5 minutes. I'm old, and exhausted at the end of the day. Every now and then, I do have to go back to an old technique I've used. After I toss and turn, trying to get to sleep just gets worse. Suddenly, everything is uncomfortable, the sheets feel itchy and my eyes want to spring open. Get up and walk around the house for a few minutes. Stare out the window and try to see something - like the neighbor's dog or the stars or some guying stealing your hubcaps. Something that lets your mind wander and not think about being awake. Stretch a little bit. Climb back in bed and lie on your back. Imagine your favorite thing to do in your favorite location after your favorite meal. Begin with your toes, and slowly work all the way to your eyelids. Curl your toes slowly, roll your ankles slowly, flex your calves and so on, all the way up. As you do, feel your extremeties getting heavier and heavier, pressing into the mattress, finally letting your pillow absorb your head. The next thi-- ZZnnnzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
My normal problem is actually staying awake. On the rare occasion I don't pass out immediately, I like to put on a meditation cd. My favourite one is tibetan gongs and rain. Never fails. Alternately, get a legal text book. Constitutional law managed to put me to sleep anywhere, anytime.
I've never really had trouble falling asleep, but my roommate this last year at college was crazy scared about not falling asleep on time. His usual sleep remedy (I think this worked by the placebo effect) was to drink one beer and take one full shot of nyquil PM or whatever. This was done once a week usually so he could get 7-8 hours of sleep before a test. Whenever I don't fall asleep immediately I tend to just let my thoughts go wild, and I enjoy it, since I know I would be no sleep otherwise. I have this uncanny ability to not worry about things whatsoever, which attributes to my ability to sleep if in a comfortable position.
Soccer. Seriously, the slow pace and lack of action, along with the announcer calmly describing the action-less, slow pace is just the right amount of white noise for me to fall asleep to. Shit, even if I'm fully awake and I actively try to watch, the monotonous play of the ball bouncing back and forth over the middle third of the field is so hypnotizing-ly boring that it's a challenge to stay awake at the best of times. The vuvuzelas only make me sleepier. The same could be said for golf and baseball, but to a lesser degeree. Those sports are challenging for me, so that piques my interest, plus they provide good people watching, which also keeps my attention. In conclusion, go German-zzzzzzz...
A good helping of scotch on the rocks does the trick every time. There's enough there to relax me but not so much liquid that I'm getting up at 2am to pee.
Monday mornings I have to get up between 4:30 and 5am for work. In order to get a full nights sleep I have to go to bed by 10pm. The only way I can do this is to drink a double dose of Nyquil around 7pm and another around 9pm (assuming there is no Sunday Funday in effect). I would think this is an issue, but it's not insomnia that causes it. It's because I didn't get up until sometime around noon, so I'm not even close to tired when it is bed time. During the week I have no real problem going to sleep. It just sucks that the weekend has a totally different schedule than the week.