How To Stop Those Racing Thoughts That Keep You Up Every Night
You feel tired all day and can't wait to finally flop on your bed and shut your eyes, except when you finally do make it, you feel restless and can't shut your mind off. Sound familiar?
Don't worry, we got you. No matter how much your brain wants to replay your breakup over and over again, we're here to help you quiet it down.
Figure Out What Is Keeping You Up
The first step is trying to figure out where your mind keeps going. It may wander, but it likely always goes back to the same central focus.
You might find that there's a particular event or person that is stressing you out. Once you pinpoint it, you can take steps during the day to ease it.
Why It's Important
Sleep is vital to good health. It plays a big part in healing and repairing your heart and blood vessels. When you don't get enough of it at night, it tends to affect your ability and mood the next day, getting you stuck in a bad cycle.
Sleep deficiency is also linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?
How much sleep you need usually depends on your age. Children tend to need 10 to 13 hours, while adults need a minimum of seven hours to feel properly rested and rejuvenated.
Granted, that's a little easier said than done when the day never feels long enough to manage a full-time job, a relationship, and whatever else comes your way.
Stay In The Present Moment
When you think about it, are the thoughts that keep you up connected to past or future events? Either you're dwelling on or regretting the past, or you're dreading the future.
It then helps to just focus on the present. You can't change the past nor control the future. All you can do is take this moment in between to rest and prepare.
Work Yourself Out
Who needs sleeping pills when exercise exists? Studies tend to show that exercise decreases sleep complaints and insomnia.
The effects of exercise have shown to be similar to sleeping pills because at the very least it tires you out enough that you can't stay up long enough to think.
Keep The Phone Away
The light from your phone screen can mess with your body's natural melatonin production and make it harder to fall asleep.
Plus, it can make you feel more anxious or stressed, especially if you've just stalked your ex or read an annoying text.
Get Out Of Bed
It may seem ironic but if you stay in bed too long trying to force yourself into sleeping, your brain might start to associate your bed with insomnia and worries.
Instead, if you're lying there for more than 20 or 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something else for a bit before returning to try to sleep.
Create A Wind-Down Routine With Your Senses
If a lot of what's keeping you up at night is stressful thoughts, it might help to get your senses involved in a new routine.
Here's an example: For a sight, try coloring mandalas before bed; for smell, try aromatherapy; for taste, go for chamomile tea, etc.
Schedule A Time To Worry
The thing is you can't make all your worries go away, but you also can't just push them aside or they'll come back to haunt you all night.
Instead, try taking some time during the day to reflect on and confront your worries. Try writing them down one by one so that they don't seem as overwhelming anymore.
Try The 4-7-8 Breathing Technique
Breathing can do wonders for controlling stress as it slows down your heart rate and rebalances you.
The 4-7-8 breathing goes like this: Inhale for a count of four, hold for seven counts, and then exhale for eight counts. Do this at least five to seven times, and your heart rate will slow way down.
Get On A Schedule
In order to regulate your body's internal clock, you need to try to go to bed at the same time every day.
Choose a time when you know you'll actually be tired because if you try to go to bed early when your brain’s not ready to sleep, it will focus on other things and work against you.
Take Up Reading
Remember books? Actual books? Not Kindle devices or iPads. Picking up a good book can make you feel relaxed and occupy your mind with no other distractions until the moment it's actually ready to shut down.
Or until it bores you enough that you'd rather just sleep.
Turn On The TV
We know we told you to stay away from screens, but in reality, if reading or meditation has never been your thing, it may be hard when you first try it to stay focused.
If TV is your go-to, it might still help as long as you're shifting the focus away from your mind.
Make A Plan Of Action
It may help you to feel like you have control over whatever's keeping you up. If there's a certain person you're thinking about, write down a plan of how you could talk to them and what you would say.
That way even when you are thinking about it at night, you're doing it without the anxiety, and it feels soothing rather than arousing.
Eat A Snack
If you eat a big meal right before bed, you might be messing with your digestive system and keeping yourself up.
Instead, try a light carbohydrate snack like some popcorn or crackers. This can promote the production of serotonin, which the brain needs to regulate sleep.
Make Sure Your Bed's Only For Sleeping
The body and brain can make strong associations without you even noticing. If you work, study, or watch TV in bed, then your brain will associate the entire room with being awake.
Separate your spaces so that your bed is only for sleeping.
