croc's method is mine, as far as sleep. also being active during the day (i walk over 3 miles/day, for example) helps substantially. i get 6-7 hours on an average night and 8-9 on an awesome incredible one.
things in this vein that help me work and study, however: http://naturesoundsfor.me/
the "snow" effect does it for me (under Nature) 'cause it has that perfect padding noise that comes with a good snowfall. it's hard to describe. check it out maybe you'll be able to describe it better