I've often wished I was on the other side of the insomnia fence -- the grass is always greener I suppose. I wish I could fall asleep in seconds once awake, but it takes me time and concentrated effort to relax and quiet my mind once I'm awake in order to fall back asleep. Certainly, lucid dreaming is all about sleeping, so learning how to fall asleep is an integral part of this hobby. I'm proof that it *can* be learned. I can fall asleep fairly easily at initial bedtime, but almost any waking after that if I do any sort of mental activity I can be left wide awake for a long time (hours).
I did a lot of research, asked for a lot of advice, and just tried and tried different things. What I found worked for me:
1) do NOT "try" to sleep, and do NOT be anxious about not sleeping, these lead to vicious cycles of insomnia. Simply relax and enjoy drifting in relaxation without thinking you must achieve anything in particular
2) relax deeply, physically and mentally. You may be holding tension in surprising places, for me it is: cheeks [I usually smile when I think about all the awesome dreams I'm about to have, and then hold that tension there without realizing it] and eyes (and of course the jaw, that's fairly standard, though). I find backwards counting from 20 (thanks, Canis!) synchronized with deep breathing, relaxing on each breath, helps to quiet the "monkey mind" to the point where I can just continue relaxing until I fall asleep.
3) standard sleep hygiene stuff, google can lead you to many "how to sleep well" sites: get regular exercise, don't eat junk food, maintain a regular sleep schedule, etc.
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