meditation
I used to have a really bad problem with insomnia due to horrible nightmares and didn't want to sleep. After a while, even if I wanted to sleep I couldn't. I started meditating and doing breathing excercises to relax myself and my mind TO sleep. I still have to do this to this day to fall asleep at night.
When I want to JUST meditate and not fall asleep, I usually sit up and place my hands in some kind of position where I keep track of them and keep them in that position. I then imagine a circle of white around the area I am sitting in and then think of myself on a bridge. At this bridge I imagine dumping all of my upfront concious thoughts into the water and watching it all wash away. Things like, bills, calls to make, making dinner, what I'm going to do this next weekend, chores, etc. Dump it all until my mind is clear. Then I imagine that I walk over to the other side of the bridge, and on that other side is whatever place I am trying to achieve to be. For example, a forest, meadows, a beach at sunset, whatever the case may be. If I want to call forth a spirit of some type, I imagine myself to close my eyes wherever I am at (say the forest, and I want to be with my dragon). I then call out in my mind something to the effect of "I need your guidance sweet dragon" and open my eyes (in the setting, not in my meditation). Usually at that point, I'll be sitting next to my dragon and I usually stroke his neck and/or back smiling to him and thanking him for being with me. I then tell him what guidance I could really use from him and I listen to what he has to say.
One example is, when I had a question about my relationship with my husband, I asked for his advice. He nodded his head for me to lay into his side and then spoke to me saying, rest sweet child, rest. You can not force the energies that be. You know he loves you, and you love him, which is more then what most people have. Rest your soul and quite your fears, you have nothing to fear when it comes to his devoted love to you. Rest and let him rest. Sleep now child as your body needs it." At that point, I slowly brought myself out of the meditation and laid in bed, meditated again to be at his side and curled up into his side and then allowed myself to fall asleep.
One thing you may want to try is to lay down, meditate, but before you fall asleep, envision your perfect setting. The longer you want to be at that setting, allow yourself to be there, then envision yourself laying down in that setting and THEN fall asleep. Practice controlling the meditation first before trying to sit up and meditate. Otherwise, you will lay down.
Since I use meditation to fall asleep, I usually mix both into one. If I want to meditate before I fall asleep for the night, then I do what I explained above, just laying down. When I'm done, I either come back to myself (sortaspeak) and allow my mind to clear and then sleep, or fall asleep in the setting as I described.
Let us know what eventually worked. Also, ask the fae for their help and guidance.
You name it, I've seen it while meditating. Everything from dark creatures to angels, lost souls to faery's, and have astral traveled to many many planes.