I know many people suffer from the above but still manage to go on.
Are there any tips that if one can't fall asleep right away per se night after night after night - can one learn to accept and remain awake throughout the night? Happily and accepting.
I do be so tired that I just want to sleep but thoughts/dreams torture my brain throughout.
I listen to an audiobook or podcast - need one that is interesting to keep the mind engaged but not too exciting, funny or scary to keep one awake! I like science/history and I can't go to sleep without it. I use a cheap bluetooth earbud so my partner doesn't have to hear it and also no wires.
Lavender? Terrible? Really? I has lavender tucked inside my pillow case throughout most of my childhood (courtesy of my mum, who swore by it). I remember liking the smell.
Having posted on this thread last night, and finding myself in the local pharmacy (to collect a prescription) today, I've purchased some Nytol valerian tablets. They're meant to take a while to build up their effects, so I won't be able to say if they're any good yet though.
^^^ Many (most?) things you can take for insomnia seem to be associated with hypertension. That definitely includes sour cherry juice (recommended earlier in this thread), which can significantly elevate blood pressure levels.
Unfortunately, lack of good quality sleep is also associated with hypertension. It seems that you just can't win!
^^^ It's not always things on my mind that keep me awake, Mamya. It can also be things on my chest - especially when one weighs nearly 8 kg and purrs noisily ;-)