okay... I will do my usual song and dance about the best thing to do is to find the root cause of this sleeplessness, like stress and solving the stress problem...
okay, got that out of the way... MY personal favorite sleeping herb is lemon balm... a nice glass of lemon balm tea puts me OUT, plus it's a slight anti-depressant, but it seems to lose effectiveness after 3 days of usage... which goes back to solving the underlying problem.
Some people like chamomile tea (which is hard on the liver) but that has never really helped me much... there is valerian root and passionflower tea....
hope this helps some.

Thanks I already use chamomile tea and green tea always making sure it's decaf. Thanks again and anymore sugestions would be welcome.

I'll follow Heathen's song and dance routine! Healthy diet and adequate exercise and a good routine of regular hours are the best ways of getting a good night's sleep. Keeping things calm and quiet before bedtime - no loud music, no scary movies, no caffeine etc will also help. Make a bedtime routine which lasts at least an hour. You know - the relaxing bath (with lavender tossed in), the quiet music, the facial thing, the sitting in front of mirror brushing out hair - all these things are relaxing to the body and the mind, and put you in the mood for sleep. Also, no large, hard-to-digest meals at night, and keep the sugar to a minimum.

Try making a sleep pillow. Lavender and hops flowers are the best fillings, alone or together, maybe with some rose petals, and here's another recipe:

Sleep Pillow Mixture:
30g rosemary flowers
30g jasmine
30g lavender flowers
15g chamomile flowers
1 tablespoon marjoram
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon aniseed
1 tablespoon orris root powder
bergamot essential oil

Lavender is well known and proven as a relaxant. Burn some lavender incense or oil in your bedroom, sprinkle some lavender oil on your pillow or whatever.

Lemon balm is a good relaxant for some, but it can cause night sweating, which isn't exactly conducive to a good night's sleep!

The other herbs mentioned by Heathen can also help some people.

Other causes for poor sleep patterns can be basic things like the state of your mattress (too soft, too hard, more than 10 years old - next time you strip down your bed, squat down on the floor and eye up your mattress and check for any hills and valleys - you might get a nasty surprise!), whether your room is too hot or too cold, whether you have too many heavy blankets, your pillow night not be right for you, too many bright colours in the bedroom, windows closed so not enough fresh air circulating etc.

You really should discuss this with your doctor. There can be many medical causes for poor sleep patterns. However, I reiterate - it's most commonly a life-style thing.

oh yes... forgot the hops! Daisy has the mind of a steel trap! :o) Hops has been used for hundreds of years for sleep... works like a charm, a BIT BITTER, but like she says, even a hop pillow works.

Thanks for all the info guys

yeah hops are a favourite, i'v made a hop pillow before (not for me, never really had problems sleeping)

hop makes a nice tea actually, though you may want to sweeten it slightly (i actually chew hops sometimes, cos i'm wierd (nothing to do with the psycotropic effects... no... nothing))

warning, hops are a depressant, extended use, as with extended cannabis use (very similar related plants) may well lead to depression

daisy and heathen are of course right with the song and dance routine, but it will be easyer to sort out if you can get a good nights sleep first

not herbal but warm milk is traditional, unusual bbut maybe try and add some more lettuce to your dinner, its a sopurific(sp?), remember to try and eat the bitter parts, as they contain more of the responsible chemicals(i think)

also, may go without saying but consider what you eat/do in the evening, no use if ur eating stimulant foods/drinks/herbs also and being too cold wakes you up

do you like beer? maybe a small amount of bitter (full of hoppy goodness) before bed will help. only as small bit mind, alcohol disrupts sleep

another idea (how much more will there be you ask) is a salve or lotion. something with aromatic herbs that can be rubbed onto your chest before you go to bed, gently soothe you as you sleep to keep you that way.

my herbals also recomend white willow, catnip, oats and slightly more powerfully wild lettuce (much stronger action than lettuce, but also addictive)

i'd avoid the wild lettuce

oh and they recoment linden tea (made from flowrs of small and large leaf lime)

hope this is of some help

Yeah, the warm milk thing is a time-honoured before-bed thing. My mother used to give it to us kids about half an hour before bed, lightly sweetened with sugar or honey if desired, and sprinkled on top with a little nutmeg. It should only be heated to blood heat - like a baby's bottle. Not too hot, and definitely not cold. Just sip slowly, don't scoff it down. 've seen in given to hospital patients even in recent years as a before-sleep routine, so there must be something in it!

What is your usual mode on sleeping??? Is this hard time sleeping a relatively new thing within last year or so ...or have you always found you had a circadian rhythm that is not "on" regular hours? If this is has not been a lifelong problem (and it definitely can be for some!) then at what age did it begin? I still am with everyone elese here that before any herbs are tried, going back to study the basics is a Must.