I sometimes leave the radio on. Not tuned to a station mind you, just static. I turn it low enough that it's still audible without being overpowering, and usually zonk out pretty quick. Something about the white noise seem to just make my brain shut down, which is good, since I normally spend an hour or so lying in bed waiting for my brain to wind down before I fall asleep. Normally I plan accordingly, but if I have a late night, I usually use the radio trick to hasten my departure to sleepy land.
My dad swears by cheese. Not a lot, just a few slices. Though I've heard a good number of people say cheese before bed gives them nightmares, so that could go either way.
My mom always recommends exercise, though she recommends that for everything, and I haven't had much luck with it. I've found if I exercise too soon before bed, I wind up not sleeping because I'm all wired up on endorphins, and if I do it to long before bed, my brain has enough time to re-engage thinking mode, and then I just lie in bed thinking about how tired and sore I am, and how it'd be really nice if I could sleep.
A nice cup of tea (caffeine free, obviously) also seems to work quite well. Nice and hot, just a few degrees below burning temperature and a lot of times I flop into bed and fall asleep before I finish the mug.
And of course there's always the nightcap option. Probably not a good one if you're on medication, but when I was on meds I got nice and liquored up more than once and suffered no ill-effects, but everyone - and their meds - are different. Not that I'm recommending you get yourself trashed before bed. A tumbler of warm bourbon (well, not a
full tumbler
) or a glass of port usually puts me in sleepy-bye-bye mode pretty quick. Of course, you'll have to experiment with finding the right quantity that'll get you drowsy, but not balls up your sleep quality. But hey, experimenting with alcohol is half the fun, right?
Or there's the hot shower option. Slowly increase the heat until it gets to the point where you can't go any hotter without it being really painful, then stay in there for a good half hour to 45 minutes. If you react to extra-hot showers like I do, you'll leave the bathroom wondering if your body will stay functional long enough to get you to your bed.
Or, if you can afford one day of accomplishing nothing, there's always the exhaustion method. Skip a night's sleep, keep yourself going the whole next day, and try to make it until an hour or so before your usual bedtime. If you're still wide awake a few minutes after your head hits the pillow, get up and try to push on for another day. You'll either conk out a few hours later, or you'll make it right through the next day. I've only had to resort to this a few times in my life, and only twice have I made it to day two, and never any longer.