Same here. Exercise revs me up. If I ride at night I won't be able to sleep for several hours. Unfortunately I enjoy riding at night.

If I need to be up early I have to skip drinking any alcohol. It's like caffeine to me. That's not unusual. Alcohol interferes with sleeping for a lot of folks, even when it also makes them drowsy. For me it usually doesn't even make me drowsy. It's more like a caffeine jolt with a little buzz. Fortunately I don't need to be anywhere Monday so I had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner.

And if I needed to work early, I'd have to change my exercise schedule to mornings or afternoons.

Melatonin works well to help me sleep. I usually take 5-10 mg; any less does little or nothing for me. The body produces it normally, but as we get older we don't produce it effectively. The melatonin supplement does no harm for most folks but should be taken a couple of hours before the usual bedtime. It takes awhile to kick in, although some fast acting melatonin supplements can kick in within 15-30 minutes. There are also time release versions, combining fast release and gradual overnight release.

Valerian root works for some folks too. Theories differ about how it works but one theory is that it affects the serotonin and dopamine similarly to certain medications like valproic acid, which is effective for a wide range of symptoms ranging from seizures to migraines to bipolar disorder and may even help alcoholics and drug addicts to cope with sobriety.

The only problem with valerian root is it smells funky -- like old gym socks. If you've watched or read Murder on the Orient Express you might remember the murdered man, Samuel Ratchett, drank a tea of valerian root to help him sleep. While I've heard of it used as a tea it's so foul smelling I've never been tempted. I usually buy it in gelatin capsules and hold my breath while swallowing them.

The effect for me is very mild, much milder than 5-10mg melatonin. A couple of 400-500mg valerian root capsules affect me pretty comparably to 1 mg of melatonin. It can also cause very slight stomach burning so I'll usually take a Tums or similar antacid with it.

And I have some favorite bedtime music playlists. Lots of ambient instrumentals and dream pop -- Mazzy Star and singer Hope Sandoval, Cat Power, Julee Cruise, that sorta thing. Sometimes I'll listen to podcasts and old radio shows from the archives.