My secret: short story podcasts. Engages my brain just enough to help turn off the competing thoughts. There really is something to that bedtime story thing!

This could be due to the momentum of thinking anxiously, or in a forced way in general, throughout the day. If you are able to think at a natural pace throughout the day, your thoughts will be calm, or at least, come to you at a natural pace, at bedtime / nap-time, too.

> I'm always thinking

Otherwise known as "lettings your mind wander". Just go with it, you don't have to not-think. It is perfectly fine to spend 20 minutes laying down and thinking.

And what's supposed to happen when it's an hour later and the mind is still wandering but not sleeping any more than originally?

Try unwandering it? Count from 1 upwards and restart every time your mind wanders off the counting.

Nothing much? You don't have to fall asleep to feel rested from taking an hour long break ...