Just get some sleep

I have struggled with insomnia on and off for as long I can remember.  It's only rarely stay-awake-all-night insomnia but I go through phases for several nights in a row where I don't sleep well at the beginning of the night, and then I will wake up with the birds at 4:30 or 5in the morning.  I'm stuck in one of those phases right now, and haven't slept well for the passed three nights.   I often feel very jealous of Jbird who sleeps deeply whenever he wants to and often when he doesn't want to.  I don't know why it happens, I'm barely drinking any alcohol or caffeine, and I don't do anything exciting before I sleep.  With the exception of my Irish band which had me singing this song in my head all night on Friday night.

I have some techniques that I do to help me sleep.  I try to lay really still,  listening to my breathing, or to Jbird's breathing, and try to get in a slow rhythm.  I try to stretch every muscle in my body, individually*.  I never get very far with that one before I forget what I'm doing.  I try to think of all the people I love and pray for them. Before I got married, I would play a quiet CD and the music distracted me from my thoughts.  Last night I put some lavender essential oil drops on my pillow and had some rescue remedy. Tonight I'm going to drink some chamomile tea before I go to sleep.  The girls I babysit for tell me warm milk helps too so perhaps I'll try that tomorrow night.  Do you have any suggestions?

*at high school I was in a psychology class and our teacher did some meditation with us.  I don't know what it had to do with psychology but he instructed us through this while some relaxing music played.