[GH85Carrera]

I take no sleep aids, just a few prescription medicines that are not sleep inducing. I don't drink but two beers at dinner time, and no more liquids after 7:00 PM. I will eat a banana or apple about 8:00 but that is all.

When we first got married 34 years ago, my wife was astonished in that when it was time to go to sleep, I was out like a light, and and slept until the alarm went off, and I literately bounded out of bed, bright eyed and bushy tailed before she had time to shut off the alarm. I learned to not to even attempt to talk to her until she had finished showering, and getting dressed and eaten her breakfast. I still wake up instantly from the alarm and I am fully awake and ready to go.

Now as a geezer, I still fall asleep within a few minutes, but I regularly have to get up to pee about 4:00 AM. On occasion I can pull an "all nighter" and sleep until the alarm goes off.

When I get back in bed after visiting the bathroom, I sometime struggle to get back to sleep. So i figured out some mental rules.

#1 never think about work, or paying bills, or maintenance or real world relationships or any of reality of life. No planning anything in the real world is allowed.

#2 We all have had dreams that are bizarre and are pure fantasy and make no real sense in the real world. Go for that as your dream world. There are no rules of physics that apply in the dream world. Make up your own dream world that you like. In the fantasy world, have the ability to read the minds of animals, and figure out their reasons for their bad behaviors, and have the ability to correct them. Change dogs with separation issues to relax and feel fine that their human is coming back to be with them. Be able to learn their aches and know they have a tooth ache or a painful foot. Hey, it is your dream world, make it up as you go, and soon you will fall asleep.

I would suggest avoiding a sexual fantasy as that wakes up other body parts and may cause other physical issues.

Make up a interesting dream world, and you are in 100% control. If you start down a path you don't like, just start over and just have fun. My brain soon learned to have enjoyable dreams. My wife says I am an extraterrestrial alien as I have many times awakened giggling from a funny dream.