How old are you? I had the same problem as a kid...first 20 years, really. Then I started 40+ hours/week and cramming stuff into my nights so soon I was so tired I was able to go to sleep very quickly. Then 10-15 years later I added kids to the mix, and now I can go to sleep basically on-demand any time of day. Power naps are critical; coffee and knock off for 20 minutes. Feel alive after.

I don't know about that poster, but I'm mid 30's and definitely still lie awake while thinking about how tired I'm going to be in the morning.

Physical excersise in the evening works for me. Knocks me out cold when I get home.

Physical exercise earlier in the day helps me sleep at night, vigorous exercise less than 4-6 hours before bed keeps me awake.

Hasn't really worked for me - I hate mornings so I have traditionally worked out in the evenings anyway (although by coincidence I'm now trying morning workouts as a way to wake up!). This comment brought to you courtesy of the 4+ hours I spent awake in bed last night :(

Depends on what kind of exercise for me. Lifting and I can sleep. Running and I'm wired.

Managed to find this talk I watched many years ago on Google Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hAw1z8GdE8

IIRC, the professor explained that if you fall asleep faster than around 10-15 minutes, you're probably sleep deprived and need to sleep more.

I find certain familiar TV shows playing at moderate volume can greatly help my own problems getting to sleep. For me it's Futurama, 30 Rock, Star Trek: TNG, and Good Eats. All things I can consistently enjoy watching over and over, with a minimal amount of high dynamic range (i.e. no shouting), and things that don't surprise or grab attention. Sleeping with a partner that has trouble getting to sleep at all with something on has made things a little more difficult.

That's step one, step two is getting to sleep at the same time every night, taking care to _not_ stay up into the early hours or sleep in, and general human maintenance. It's still not perfect, or sometimes even very good, and I'm afraid it'll always take care unless I make lifestyle choices that make me always tired.

you might want to look into meditation, you can use the same techniques to fall asleep very quickly. Learning to turn off the internal dialogue requires practice, in my case at least.

You may have wacky cortisol levels.

One thing to look into is tulsi/holy basil tea, which blunts cortisol release. I do BJJ in the evenings during the week, and I find that a cup or two of tea helps my body kick out of workout mode pretty immediately.