Falling asleep can be tough. Yet it shouldn't be.

It should be the most natural thing in the world.

You get into bed, close your eyes, and take a trip to Sleepville, population: you.

Yet, sometimes it’s not that simple. To some people, it may never seem that simple.

I’m pretty good at sleeping - one of the (few) things I truly excel at - but sometimes actually getting to sleep can be downright hard. Hard to the point of irritating the bejeepers out of me.

I’ve gotten irritated so much that I’ve spent a good amount of time trying out different ways to fall asleep. Along the way I found out what works - and what didn't.

Don't try these at Home

• Booze -I’ve tried having an alcoholic beverage or two before bed, didn’t work. Actually, it sort of did but I had problems later on during the night.

• Boob Tube- I’ve tried watching TV to relax me, didn’t work. Turns out exposing yourself to light at night not only doesn’t help but hurts your chances of falling asleep. BTW, If you fall asleep watching TV, that's a dead giveaway of how badly your body needs sleep.

• Breaking a Sweat - I’ve even tried exercising a few hours before bed to tire myself out and that didn’t do the trick either. Exercise is a surefire way to get better sleep but is not the greatest thing to do before bed.

Try These Instead

What I found is that when I relaxed mind and body, it was much easier to fall asleep - and stay asleep. I didn't need to be plopped in front of the TV or running on a treadmill; I just needed to be in my own bed, still and ready for my body to say "good night."

• Deep Breaths - I found that taking deep breaths over and over actually relaxed me pretty quickly.

• Sleep with One Eye Open - Sometimes I keep one eye closed and the other eye open, as if I’m fighting to stay awake. This works way better than I thought it would.

• Om, Shanti - I looked up different meditation mantra words on the Internet and repeated one word over and over in my head until I relaxed my way into sleep. It’s a good way to cancel out other thoughts in your head as it takes your concentration away from worrisome thoughts, focusing instead on the words.

• Go With the Flow - Instead of trying to push nagging thoughts out of my head, there are times when I actually mentally embrace them and let them race through my head until they wear themselves out. Sounds kind of silly but this has actually worked, and it usually doesn’t take that long either.

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I’m always in the market for new techniques to help fall asleep -and I'm pretty sure others are too.

So, all you sleep experimenters out there, what tips and techniques do you have for falling asleep? What works for you - and what was an utter fail?

Share below, on our Facebook page, or on Twitter using #helpsmesleep- we'll take your advice and publish here on Zeology for all to see and benefit from.

Think of it as a good deed designed to make you sleep better.