I go through bouts of sleep difficulty. Mostly when I have to conform to "normal" sleep times. My body seems to naturally prefer to sleep from 5:00am to noon.

I'm a pretty picky sleep though. I do the following things:
* I always have a fan on, usually barely facing my direction. The white noise and soft breeze is very soothing.
* I put something familiar on the TV. Familiar enough that I can close my eyes and watch it in my head so that it doesn't keep my eyes on the screen, and it keeps my mind from wandering.
* I read. It's exhausting!
* I think sexy thoughts. It releases calming hormones and the concentration keeps my mind from wandering too much.

My father-in-law imagines himself melting, from his outer appendages in to his torso. I've tried it a couple of times and it's a good method, but if I don't have any outside distractions I think thinking sexy thoughts is more fun.