[fmueller]

I wasn't able to sleep in the past. Now I can because of two simple tricks (may not work for everyone):

1) I lie on the side and cover both ears, one with the cushion and one with the blanket.

2) I imagine a story I made up once and go trough it in my mind. It's always the same story, only a little different each time.

Then I fall asleep.

[zeppelin101]

Both of these sound very effective. May I also recommend using earplugs? There are many varieties available and they're inexpensive. I used to do the covering ears thing but it's not super comfortable.