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

man has a smoke by window
Photo Credit: cottonbro / Pexels
Photo Credit: cottonbro / Pexels

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Why It's Important

ADVERTISEMENT
woman lying on the couch wearing green dress
Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels
Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sleep deficiency is also linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.

ADVERTISEMENT

How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman flops on couch with hair on her face
Photo Credit: Sinitta Leunen / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Sinitta Leunen / Unsplash
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Stay In The Present Moment

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman meditating with eyes closed
Photo Credit: Madison Lavern / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Madison Lavern / Unsplash
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Work Yourself Out

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman doing ab exercices on the mat
Photo Credit: Jonathan Borba / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Jonathan Borba / Unsplash
ADVERTISEMENT

Who needs sleeping pills when exercise exists? Studies tend to show that exercise decreases sleep complaints and insomnia.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Keep The Phone Away

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman lying in bed on her phone
Photo Credit: Natasha Hall / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Natasha Hall / Unsplash
ADVERTISEMENT

The light from your phone screen can mess with your body's natural melatonin production and make it harder to fall asleep.

ADVERTISEMENT

Plus, it can make you feel more anxious or stressed, especially if you've just stalked your ex or read an annoying text.

ADVERTISEMENT

Get Out Of Bed

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman sitting on chair by window
Photo Credit: Tatiana / Pexels
Photo Credit: Tatiana / Pexels
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Create A Wind-Down Routine With Your Senses

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
candles on book for aromatherapy
Photo Credit: Taryn Elliott / Pexels
Photo Credit: Taryn Elliott / Pexels
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Here's an example: For a sight, try coloring mandalas before bed; for smell, try aromatherapy; for taste, go for chamomile tea, etc.

ADVERTISEMENT

Schedule A Time To Worry

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
mug with coffee on top of agenda
Photo Credit: Estée Janssens / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Estée Janssens / Unsplash
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Try The 4-7-8 Breathing Technique

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
man looks up to the sky with eyes closed
Photo Credit: Kelvin Valerio / Pexels
Photo Credit: Kelvin Valerio / Pexels
ADVERTISEMENT

Breathing can do wonders for controlling stress as it slows down your heart rate and rebalances you.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Get On A Schedule

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
man holding alarm clock by wall
Photo Credit: Ola Dapo / Pexels
Photo Credit: Ola Dapo / Pexels
ADVERTISEMENT

In order to regulate your body's internal clock, you need to try to go to bed at the same time every day.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Take Up Reading

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman reading a book on the couch
Photo Credit: Matias North / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Matias North / Unsplash
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Or until it bores you enough that you'd rather just sleep.

ADVERTISEMENT

Turn On The TV

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman eating popcorn and watching TV
Photo Credit: JESHOOTS.COM / Unsplash
Photo Credit: JESHOOTS.COM / Unsplash
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

If TV is your go-to, it might still help as long as you're shifting the focus away from your mind.

ADVERTISEMENT

Make A Plan Of Action

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman with blonde curls resting hand on her cheek
Photo Credit: Nataliya Vaitkevich / Pexels
Photo Credit: Nataliya Vaitkevich / Pexels
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Eat A Snack

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman eating pizza on couch
Photo Credit: KoolShooters / Pexels
Photo Credit: KoolShooters / Pexels
ADVERTISEMENT

If you eat a big meal right before bed, you might be messing with your digestive system and keeping yourself up.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Make Sure Your Bed's Only For Sleeping

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
woman sits in bed wearing a robe
Photo Credit: Leah Kelley / Pexels
Photo Credit: Leah Kelley / Pexels
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Separate your spaces so that your bed is only for sleeping.