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Yes, the shift in body temperature helps facilitate sleep. You don't necessarily even need to take a cold shower. Even a warm shower should do the trick just as well, since your body temperature will still be shifting from its natural state.
Yup, rate of change, the same reason hot water freezes faster than cold water ... maybe http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/422/which-freezes-f...
Also tensing all muscles in your body for 10 seconds 3 times, will help you to get to some sort of physical equilibrium.
Thoughts running in your head on their own - unresolved issues from the day. Ask yourself what is in your head and visualize how you would deal with it. Just think of what you will be the next step and they will go away.
Failing all these things, calming overexciting nervous system - valerian root can do wonders for calming down.
It works for me, sometimes. But I hate having a wet pillow, something I can't seem to prevent. If you blow your hair afterwards the whole 'coldness/fresh up' is pretty much gone and a towel doesn't sleep that good.
Your mind is probably thinking about too many things. You can also try this trick. I read about a simple technique in a meditation book (the purpose of this was not falling asleep, but it works for me). Close your eyes and start counting with a special technique to infinity. The trick is to count one number while breathing in... slowly counting in your head until you are done breathing in and when your breath out imm…
Anyway, insomnia is like an illness, I can't sleep more than 6 hours.
Also, getting a super-confortable bed helped a lot!
I still play hockey and come home rather late. Because I'm wide awake when I get home, I do a few things which helps me fall asleep faster than tossing and turning for hours.
I take fairly hot shower and do some relaxation breathing in the shower. Afterwards, I stretch out for about 20 minutes. By the time I crawl into bed, my body is already slowing down and doze off quickly.
I think the shower loosens my muscles, and the breathing helps relax my brain. The stretching also helps my body transition to a more relaxed state.