bendiyogi,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You are likely struggling with a mind that can not shut off the outside world while you are healing. A trick that helps many of us is to find a boring stimulus that occupies your visual and auditory senses with no need for you to cognitively respond. I use TV and videos. I can find lots of things online at Crackle, Hulu, etc.

I go to bed with my laptop playing the program on ear buds and let my mind just relax. I turn the volume down as low as possible. I only get about 6 hours of sleep a night. have for a decade. But, the relaxed time I spend zoned out appears to allow me to get good sleep.

Repeats of shows or movies work good because your brain is less stimulated since there is a familiarity. Try to not listen to or watch new material. It can cause the brain to pay more attention and be in suspense to see the end.

It also helps me to be very comfortable in my sleeping cloths and bedding. This removes all of the distractions the injured brain tends to want to focus on.

Hope it works for you.

My best to you.