5 Ideas to Calm an Overactive Mind at Night
It’s not uncommon to ruminate on all the unchecked items from the day’s to-do list, or to run through everything you need to finish tomorrow, as you’re lying in bed waiting for sleep to come. The problem is, a racing mind like this can leave you staring at the ceiling instead of dozing off peacefully. These 5 ideas can help you put those thoughts to bed so you can focus on Zzzs and feel great come morning.
Write it down
If you’re like many of us who can’t stop thinking about all the things coming up tomorrow or during the rest of the week, writing it down can be a great solution.
Writing down all of your upcoming tasks can help you organize them outside of your brain, so your mind knows that it’s cataloged somewhere, and you can focus on relaxing before bed. Try it this week and see if it helps!
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Color me sleepy
Sometimes you just need a quick distraction to take your mind off of the day and lull you to sleep. As the myth goes, counting sheep helps you sleep. But the truth is, we’ve all been fleeced by this legend. Try this instead. Once you lay down and close your eyes, choose a color. Then review in your mind objects that are that color. If you choose blue, picture the sky, the sea, blue cars, blue whales and so on. It helps if this is done in categories. This helps prevent other thoughts from bubbling up as you try to sleep, without evoking anger, sadness or joy.
Put the work away
It’s incredibly commonplace in 2019 to be available online 24/7 for bosses and colleagues, but it can be detrimental to your sleep health. Try to set an evening work curfew for yourself a few hours before bed. You can set your work email and instant messaging notifications to silent mode each night from 7pm to 8am. This gives you time to cut-off the work and just focus on unwinding and relaxing before bed. Usually, that 9pm email from your boss can wait until morning.
Breathe!
Obviously, we all breathe thousands of time per day. But how often do you consciously take a deep breath, focusing solely on the air escaping your body and new air filling it? For many of us, this seldom occurs. While we’re talking about it, take a minute to take a big breath in….and out. Feels good, huh? Incorporate a few deep breaths into your bedtime routine, perhaps right when you get into bed, or even while you’re prepping for bed.
Deep breathing can slow your heartbeat and even stabilize your blood pressure, both ideal for relaxing before bed. Check out our favorite solutions to help you follow a breathing pattern while falling asleep.
Leave the bedroom
Do you find yourself tossing and turning extensively at night, lying awake for long stretches of time recycling thoughts in your head over and over again? Experts recommend taking a quick time out from lying in bed and instead move to a different low-lit room to engage in low-impact activities. This might include reading, listening to music or a podcast, or simply sitting quietly. Avoid stimulating activities like trying to tackle your to-do list or watching a TV show. Getting out of bed can help you take your mind off of trying so hard to fall back asleep, because the harder you try, the more difficult it is to fall asleep.
When you feel sleepy again, head back to bed and try to fall asleep again.
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