Your mind controls your bedtime. The clock can strike that magic hour, and though the body's willing, the mind's still playing an inner slideshow of your unfinished projects, tomorrow's to-do list, that thing you said and shouldn't have or didn't say right, that skirt in the dryer...or did you take it out already? Did you even remember to wash it?

The key to getting off to a good night's sleep is convincing the mind and body that the time is now. And that takes some awareness on your part. Actually, it's just like when you were a kid.

There's a reason some of those child-oriented bedtime traditions live on, like long hot baths before bedtime, that wild spurt of goofiness jumping on the bed before the collapse into giggles, and bedtime stories full of princesses and happy endings.

For the adult version of that bedtime ritual, click here and scroll down to the "Natural Sleep Techniques" section. There's six suggestions to help you sync your whole self into bedtime mode. Sleep well.