Please suggest good bedtime habits you've found to combat insomnia.
See it as a positive
A few years ago, I had terrible insomnia. I tossed and turned for hours on end and still sleep eluded me. I did all the usual things: I cut out caffeine, I had a milky drink, I read very dull books before going to bed, I tried to establish a routine, I tried to go to bed earlier/later, I tried meditation. Nothing helped and I dreaded going to bed as i knew that I was in for another night of torture with unwanted thoughts assailling me.
Then one day I thought that instead of wasting these hours in useless fretting, I was going to utilise the time and do interesting things that I had no time for during the day.
So I would go to bed as normal but as soon as I started tossing and turning, I would get up quietly and while the rest of the household was asleep you would find me busily engaged in all sorts of quiet activities. During that time, I wrote children's stories, I studied a new language, I learnt to crochet, I made plans to redecorate the house, I made dolls' clothes for my daughters, I even baked cakes. This went on for several months. I would still go to bed first and attempt to sleep and I found that I no longer dreaded going to bed but in fact looked forward to my hours of creative solitude.
And do you know what happened? One day I went to bed and fell asleep straight away and now I seldom have bouts of insomnia and although I only sleep 6 or 7 hours a night, it's very good restorative sleep and I wake up refreshed. The only times I have trouble sleeping now is if I have taken some form of caffeine after midday and this includes not just coffee and tea but also green tea and a lot of carbonated drinks, alcohol will also disturb sleep.
I think anxiety about insomnia is a big factor in causing it. Try to see your waking hours as a plus. You simply have more time than other people to do the things you really like in absolute peace and quiet. I have come to miss that time but now I sleep soundly.....