i do a few things before i go to sleep depending on what i want to accomplish.

my fave easiest one for calming troubled sleep (when stressed, frightened, having bad or odd or troubling dreams, or being called on by others for help) is to say over and over again as i fall asleep:

sleep like the dead, not a thought in my head
sleep like the dead, not a thought in my head
sleep like the dead, not a thought in my head

and to remember stuff, i will just say what i want to dream about or remember as i drift off to sleep. if i want to connect with a specific person i will say their name repeatedly and then usually when i sleep i can find or connect with them.

and always always before sleeping and when i first wake up i do my grounding/protection to keep myself from being vulnerable to attack and anything negative.