Thread: Trouble falling asleep

I typically go to bed at about 10, fall asleep at nearly midnight, and wake up at about 7. If anybody can assist me in falling to sleep in a fast manner I would greatly appreciate that.

What happens is I'll lay down in be being tired, but I'll suddenly become aware of my surrounding right before falling asleep. I can only compare this to zoning out deep in thought and then becoming aware of my surroundings on my own in the same way as if someone started calling my name and I were to notice. This is probably because when I lay in bed I constantly think about a lot (not just from the current day but from whatever my thinking leads me to think about next and so on). I have determined that what I do before bed (whether it is playing games, watching TV, reading, programming, or if I go to bed after preparing for bed since I take showers before sleeping).

I automatically become aware of reality when I don't want to, (whether I amthinking about that or not) usually right before falling to sleep. Is there a way to help prevent this?

And each night I become more tired because I wake up in the morning typically WHILE dreaming. If I can get to sleep faster it should be easier for me to survive with school. And I had this problem last year right before summer so the reason is not because I am not used to going to be early enough, since during the summer this happens to and I have been consistently waking up at 10 AM every morning and going to bed at midnight.

P.S. I found this website because someone at a forum I am a member of posted about Lucid dreams. I then remembered a LD that I had with little awareness but great power over which I described here.

I have a few things that I do to fall asleep, and I don't have much problem.
1) stop drinking cafeinated beverages 5-6 hours before heading to bed. Technically it should only take 4 hours to clear out the caffiene, but if I've had too much during the day, it does take longer. (I have tricks for cutting down on caffeine consumption without cutting down on the benefits if you want them)
2) when getting to bed, I review my day, noticing each mistake or missed opportunity. I forgive myself for each one as I go.
3) I think of things that I need to do, and promise myself that I will take care of each one. (Note this doesn't work if you don;t trust yourself. You can substitute writing them as action items in a planner if the promise isn't satisfying.)
4) if I need to, I do a relaxation exercise (visualizing energy rising through my body, light coming down, tightening and relaxing each muscle, that sort of thing)
5) I close my eyes, and relax. Rather than trying to blank my mind or cease to think of anything, etc. I watch the blackness of the inside of my eyelids for images. It's much easier to clear your mind if you set yourself to be a specatator...
Anyway, those things work for me, I have been able to fall asleep within a few minutes at will for the last few years, after working those steps out.