So, I am just wondering if anyone has any helpful advice on how I can
get my body back into sleep mode at the normal night time hours. I know all the stuff about only having sex + sleeping in the bed
and not doing anything else but sometimes I'll read. Also, I would go to the dr and get pills but I doubt they will
give me any - last time I went he didn't think it was a good idea and said I may get hooked or dependent on them.
I've tried drinking tea and giving up caffeine (haven't totally conquered that battle yet, but try not to drink it after 4pm).
I'm just so sick of this. And my partner is too - when I am awake he gets frustrated and just says "just go to sleep" -
if it were that easy, I don't think people would have insomnia. O.o Anyway. Appreciate any helpful suggestions you guys have to offer!
Stuff that may have worked for you...etc

I don't have problems sleeping, but I've tried a few over the counter remedies (teas, etc) out of curiosity just to see if they would have an effect. For me, they didn't do anything. I felt completely unfazed, so I assumed they just don't work. But then I found this one tea called "Get Relaxed" by Republic of the Teas, and the flavor sounded interesting so I bought it. Never expected it to have any kind of effect, I was just after the taste, but every single time I drink it, I fall asleep less than 20 minutes later. And I'm not exaggerating, either. NOTHING works on me. Might be worth checking out.

And if you do happen to find something that helps, you might consider picking up a bottle of Valerian Root from the vitamin section of any drug store (I get it at WalMart for $4). It won't make you tired or anything, but once you do fall asleep, you will stay out all night and sleep really soundly. Just don't use it before work because it might make you sleep through your alarm :/

There's this thing I just learned the other day from my partner's aunt. I haven't tried it yet but she swears by it. You basically just get in a comfortable position and cross your arms then start patting your arms with your hands, patting one side at a time. You can do it fast or slow - this is supposed to mimic something in the brain or something, I can't remember. The point is, it's supposed to make you really calm/relaxed and it helps my partner's aunt fall asleep easily.

Lavender is also really good for calming nerves/calming people down.

When i would have a problem, sometimes i would either blink open close open close repeatly kinda fast, and my eyes would tire out, or i would lay comforably and (this helps like pretty much every time) i say in my head "relax body... relax my feet, relax my legs, knees....." i say relax my... (my mom taught it to me) then on the face its details... head.... eyes, nose, eye brows... and it really does help

How about getting some exercise in before bed?
Tiring yourself out a bit.

They have over the counter sleep aids, that are not habit forming, that might help you until you can give up caffeine. Also try a white noise machine in the bedroom, electric candles to create a relaxing atmosphere...avoid stimulation about an hour before you want to fall asleep, so find a quiet hobby (NOT TV). My husband has insomnia and we have struggled for years with it.

Do exercise during the day - not just before bedtime, because it will get your adrenaline going, but do it earlier in the day.

An hour before your bed time, sit in your bed and listen to relaxing music - maybe some theta waves or delta waves, or a hypnotism track. Burn a scented candle. Dim the lights. All this will help your body wind down and be more ready to sleep. Maybe drink a milky drink - that's supposed to help too.

Melatonin is good, over-the-counter, and it's something your body naturally produces so it's not a drug that will make you groggy the next day. Be careful with it though, I'd use it for a few days, then off for a few. Your body will get used to it because it's something you produce on your own. You can get it anywhere between $8-11 a bottle at any store.

does it work for you as well though?

Oh yes. I use it a handful of times per year.

Do you drink Coke during the day, or black tea? They have caffeine too. And if you can't cut caffeine completely just yet, try to limit it to only one a day, and before midday. That way it's completely out of your system by the time you get to bed.

And yes, no bright lights (TV, computer) for an hour before bed. No rigorous exercise (brain or body!). Reading is okay, but (upon reading your latest entry) no horror stories! xD

You can try over the counter herbal preparations, such as valerian forte. (Although I find this improves my sleep quality rather than actually getting me to sleep.)

I tried melatonin (on a plane when I couldn't sleep) but it didn't really help me, but I don't know if that was because it just didn't work for me, or because I was on a noisy, packed plane and I was anxious about the trip and no amount of medicine was going to get me to sleep. xD

Finally, stress - eliminate it or minimise it (write it down, get it out of your mind) right before bed. =)

Even if you aren't able to fall asleep, it's good to lay down and close your eyes. You will be getting SOME rest. Having a very regular schedule is what helped my husband the most. Even if he wasn't tired, he would still go lay down at bedtime. After a week or two of very little sleep, but having laid down the full time, he started going to sleep.

He's used Valerian root before, but it only takes a few days for his body to get used to it. He uses it a few days a month, as needed. This is probably not good, and it's not something he does often, but he will take a medicine that makes you drowsy a couple of hours before bed if he hasn't been able to sleep for several days.

I used to get insomnia as a teenager (and still do when switching from night shift to day shift, but these days I just accept I'll be tiredy first day back on days and then my pattern will return!), and these are the things that I tried that I think might have helped a bit:

Burn lavender oil (obviously blow flame out before attempting to sleep!)
Nytol (over the counter natural remedy) tablets
Going for a long walk during the day
A mug of hot chocolate before bed
Reading/watching TV in bed (I know they say it makes it worse but I think it helped)
Try not to stress about being awake (easier said than done though)

Thank you guys!! I really appreciate the suggestions! Definitely going to try some of these.
It is hard for me not to stress about being awake lately. I tend to actually get anxious about going to bed now.
So I need to get out of that habit. I will have to look for the melotonin; one of my faves suggested that, as well.
I am trying to drink more herbal teas and less black tea. The past few years or so, my partner and I were drinking
a lot of Pepsi Max during the day (and at night, as well, which was probably part of the problem). But giving up all
that, too.

I have that anxious-about-going-to-bed thing too, and it's not fun! I find that getting absorbed in my daily activities and tiring myself out - so that I actually go to bed tired - is helpful. =)

Oh, a glass of wine makes me nice and sleepy before bed.

I also learned this Thanksgiving that is something in turkey that makes you sleepy, which is why everyone gets so tired on Thanksgiving. ;D Maybe you should try eating turkey.

Tryptophan is in the turkey and that can cause a person to become sleepy. However, your body produces tryptophan after eating loads of carbs and grain based foods, which can make you tired/relaxed too. So it isn't really the turkey that makes people tired on Thanksgiving - it is the overload of carbs and grains. :)

thinking about not being able to sleep will make it worse. i have that problem. i get frustrated, which just keeps me awake longer.

i ended up having to sleep in another room to get my sleeping back on track. i got sleeping medication but found it did shit all the help. i get really hot really easily so while my sleeping had gone to shit it was easier to just sleep elsewhere so as not to annoy my other half or myself. he'd also developed his own sleeping quirk of shaking me awake whilst he was still asleep. thanks babe! lol. he was pulling really long and weird shift times and i think it made his brain have a bit of a melt down regarding sleep.

things that helped me were exercising during the day, no caffeine after a certain time and try to cut down in general, don't eat just before bed. eating keeps the body burning energy and it's pretty hard to sleep when you're still technically doing stuff according to your body. don't have naps during the day because it stuffs up your pattern later [that was hard to crack because i'd be so damn exhausted getting home from work].

And I think this might've been mentioned before but make sure the room you sleep in is on the cool side - your body will NOT let you sleep if it's overheated. Better to be in a freezing room so that you can pile clothes/blankets on, rather than a room that's too hot (or a bed with too many blankets).

Oh yea, it definitely has to be cool in the room for me to sleep! That's why I'm dreading summer! Ha. But hopefully we will have air con in our bedroom by then...or at least a better fan than what we have now.

Go to self-affirmation meetings for people with terminal diseases... hey it worked in Fight Club... so why not?