There's nothing worse than lying in bed trying your best to drift off to sleep when you hear it.

Drip, drip, drip.

After tossing and turning for 30 minutes to find that perfectly comfortable position you're almost ready to dose off when the noise comes out of nowhere. You know it couldn't have just suddenly started on its own, so why is it so annoyingly loud now?

Drip, drip, drip.

You try to fight it as long as you can, hoping it will go away, but there's no sense in even trying really. No matter how hard you try to block out the sound, it's going to drive you crazy until you get up and turn it off.

The sound of the faucet dripping in the bathroom in our bedroom is just one of the many things that can frustrate me when I'm trying to drift off to sleep. Sometimes it's the fact that I'm thirsty. Other times my lips feel chapped and my husband has once again stolen my chapstick from my night stand.

Some things are more difficult to fix though, like a barking dog or a snoring husband. Although opening the window to yell at the dogs can sometimes solve both problems at once.

I have a very busy mind, and sometimes it's difficult for me to finally fall asleep. In fact, I had a hard time going to sleep last night because I was thinking about writing this column. I also think about all the things I didn't accomplish that day and what I need to do the next day. It's amazing how forgetting to pay a bill or return a phone call will suddenly come to you while you are trying to go to sleep.

I have a few tricks I use to quite my mind. My favorite method is one I learned a s a young girl. It's kind of like meditation I guess. I lie on my back and picture myself laying on a warm beach somewhere. Then I start at my feet imagining each muscle relaxing all the way up to my face. I just keep doing that over and over again until I fall asleep. You would be amazed at how much tension you are carrying in your body without even realizing it.

I've also recently learned a new method for insomniacs that I heard about on the radio. When trying to fall asleep you recount your day in your head going backwards. I was skeptical of this method myself because I thought it would make my busier brain ever busier, but I find that I never make it back to the beginning of the day before falling asleep. The trick is that you just think about the methodical things from the day, not the stressful situations and such.

Of course, none of these methods work if the bathroom faucet is dripping or my husband is snoring. I can't tell you how many of my trips to the beach have been wrecked. But there's always tonight.

To all you other insomniacs out there, good luck and good night.