Some Suggestions
Jammer:
Let me start off by telling you a little bit about my sleeping habits/problems.
I've had a few severe nights of insomnia in the summer of 2006, probably from a lack of exercise and lack of the stress I would get from school work and studying. Luckily, I haven't had a night that rough since then, but I feel for you man. I hate lying in bed, saying to myself, "ARG, why won't you fall asleep!" I especially hated the sickening feeling of noisy thoughts racing through my mind. You are not alone, although your case sounds way more severe than mine was.
I've recently been experiencing some bizarre sleeping disorders, though they are not consistent or even frequent. This morning (or should I say yesterday morning) I woke up at 9am to check if the hot water was back so I could shower. I had gone to sleep at 5am so I only had 4 hours of sleep, but when I tried to go back to sleep after my shower, I found myself waking up every hour, afraid that I'd oversleep until like 2pm (because I had school work to take care of). Just last Sunday, I fell asleep on a greyhound bus, and about an hour or two into my nap, I would suddenly wake up (consciously), but I'd still be "asleep." I think I was experiencing "sleep paralysis," a state in which you are consciously awake but your body is too tired to move, I believe. I couldn't open my eyelids or even yell for help, and my limbs felt completely lacking of energy, but I was able to snore more loudly hoping the person sitting next to me would snap/shake me out of it.
I've fallen asleep:
-with loud music or other noise
-with the light on.
-while watching a movie (usually while lying down on my side),
-while watching something on my computer/youtube.
-while trying to read something, usually assigned reading for one of my classes.
-in the afternoon, despite getting a full night's rest.
-in a sitting position on buses, cars, in lecture.
-on hard floor, carpet, grass
-with my legs crossed. Yes, as in, on my back, with my right foot planted on the bed, right knee erected, and left side of my left ankle resting on my right knee. I do this quite often actually.
-I think I've almost fallen asleep one time while I was floating on my back in a pool (7th grade).
-I've even dozed off while standing upright in the shower after an extensive homework session one night.
The point is that even people who have been able to sleep under ridiculous circumstances, like me, can still suffer from insomnia. Anyways, onto the suggestions:
Mindset: Don't force sleep on yourself, let sleep come to you.
Try to:
-read something while on your back/side in bed, then lay it open and on your stomach and to the side of your bed, then "rest" your eyes with the intention of going back to your reading but never doing so. This is literally just like a sleeping pill.
-watch smash videos/any movie THAT YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN on youtube/etc, while on your back (for smash videos: applies only if you have a laptop). If what you are watching is new to you, you may become too attentive in focusing on new details. I've fallen asleep while rewatching the PC Chris vs HugS set from MLG Orlando, and if I'm tired I fall asleep by the second match. Pop in one of your favorite DVDs and watch it in a comfortable position (on your back/side) The point is to let your mind unwind. I know that you're not allowed to do this, but this actually works, at least for me.
-avoid thinking about your plans tomorrow. An excited or nervous mind is too restless to help you fall asleep. A technique that works for me is to think about dreaming. Think of incoherent and absurd things and stories that you would think you would dream. This really lets your mind unwind and go in an aimless direction that can ease the mind into sleep.
-write up a post about sleeping habits and suggestions like I am Lol, I feel drowsy.
-the warm milk thing has worked for me. Take a warm shower too. The warm water from the shower head beating against your back/spine/shoulders/neck is very soothing.
-let me just say that listening to music has had varying effects on me. In the summer I had insomnia, listening to music would actually not help me go to sleep faster....but lately, listening to my ipod, specifically to an album starting from the beginning in order, has helped me tune out all of the outside noises and fall asleep more easily.
-go to lecture, read a book in bed, watch something you've seen already
-do something monotonous, like leveling up. I remember drifting into sleep while trying to raise one of my Pokemon to level X, while training in the wild. I've even once fallen asleep during a FF VII battle and when I woke up my party was almost all dead (I had one character remaining who cast Phoenix on himself). Works like a charm.
-go for a light but somewhat lengthy jog sometime in the afternoon, or do some cross country running early in the morning.
-as a kid, my mom would comb the front of my hair, or my dad would drum his fingers on my stomach, and I'd knock out in a few seconds. I dunno, maybe have your girlfriend do this to you? XD
-reread my post and go over all the points I made/suggested.
Basically, sleep is a psychological mindgame. If you seek sleep and are desperate for it, it'll be a drag (unless you're not an insomniac and you're exhausted). If you are trying to give attention to other tasks, while in a comfortable position preferably, suddenly sleep is wanting you XD.
Wow, I wrote a lot. My last post was only 10 characters long, Lol. Time to sleep.
