I used to be like your son - I got really good at recognizing the constellations of the Northern Sky looking south from laying awake at night as a kid LOL
I also use to hallucinate from sleeplessness - believe it or not.
What I did was I resigned myself to accepting that even if I do not sleep at least by laying down I will be rested (somewhat) in the morning. This happened in my late teens. The reduction in what I would describe as 'meta anxiety' (basically anxiety about having non stop thoughts) eventually allowed me to relax and fall asleep. It was not an overnight transition but I eventually made it. I can now sleep about 6 hours a night and feel good the next day.
Also meditation is useful but again it doesn't happen overnight. Have him read the Relaxation Response. The main obstacle that needed to be overcome for me was again, accepting that one's mind will wander and thoughts will crop up in your head, just learn to gently push/coax them back out. At first these thoughts would destroy my ability to empty my mind because I would get upset by their being present in my mind. Again just accept that it happens and relax again...
YMMV
Last edited by madeinuk; 12/22/18 08:04 AM.
