How can I stop thinking at night?

Thinking too much in the lead up to bed time can affect your ability to drift off to sleep. Some helpful tactics can include: controlling your thoughts, including focussing on the present or thinking of positive thoughts, plus, writing things down, practicing deep breathing to support relaxation or using herbal remedies to support better sleep.

Can’t sleep because of overthinking? Here’s what to do:

1. Focus on the present

When overthinking you may find yourself mulling over the past or worrying about the future which, in many cases, can be unhelpful as it risks heightening symptoms of anxiety, for one.

This is why a recent technique for anxiety called the '5,4,3,2,1 technique' has proven popular. It encourages you to tune into your senses and focus on 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.

This gives you the opportunity to really tune into your (hopefully!) positive and calming environment in order to help you relax, feel more present and ultimately enable better sleep. You can also help yourself further by using particular essential oils or visual cues to further facilitate relaxation and send you off to the land of nod.

2. Think about something ordinary

We've all heard about counting sheep, and this tactic can often work as it's trying to engage your mind but in a particular way.

The key is to divert your focus towards particular thoughts that aren't too taxing and are a distraction from any worries or concerns we associate with the real world, therefore, helping to promote some calm and assisting us in drifting off.

Then, if this doesn't seem to work for you, becoming engrossed in a good book can have a similar effect. Just be sure to stick to traditional books or screens which don't emit any blue light as we want to remain in our chilled, non-stimulated state, of course.

3. Focus on positives

When we finally have time to relax it's ironic that it's fairly common for the worries, concerns, regrets or more negative thoughts to creep up on us unknowingly. However, for some, it can really work to train yourself to focus on the positives instead, such as gratitude or gratefulness.

Some lovely research has helped back this idea up. Those who focussed on gratitude before bed were much more likely to nod off quicker than those who thought over what their regrets were. (1)

4. Make a list

Of course, it's quite common to have some worries or concerns or, like me, a long list of to-do's niggling at the back of your mind. But rather than risk letting this affect your sleep, my advice is to write these thoughts down and compile a list. This way you're processing these thoughts rather than shunning them which is helpful. Also, rather than spend ages mulling them over in your mind, you can put pen to paper and designate a time the following day, separate from bedtime, when you can put a plan in place and action any of these key points.

Once again, just avoid screens as much as possible and use a pen and paper instead to help tactfully empty your mind.

5. Take some deep breaths

Deep breathing is an important feature in many mindfulness techniques, from meditation to movement-focussed interventions such as Yoga or Pilates. However, if you fancy just the breathing itself, it can still be a very simple, yet effective relaxing and/or sleep-enhancing technique.

See, exhaling, in particular, helps to initiate the calming, parasympathetic branch of the nervous system and it's in this state that we're better able to fall asleep.

6. Don't get too hung up on sleep itself

This may be easier said than done and/or take some practice, but sometimes worrying about falling asleep can turn into a vicious cycle - the more we worry, the less able we are to sleep. This can also be known as a phenomenon called sleep anxiety.

So, my advice is to try not to worry about losing sleep. Try to avoid watching the clock or other habits that can risk heightening any worry or stress and instead put your energy into some more helpful tips, such as those mentioned throughout this blog.

7. Employ more helpful habits the next day

Rather than trying everything under the sun to support sleep when you actually retire to bed, why not put some of your energy into helpful preparation tactics during your waking hours?

What you do during the day can help prepare you properly for sleep at night, meaning you are required to put less effort into falling asleep, and instead it can just start to come more naturally.

One of the first things you can do upon waking is plan some outdoor time. Exposure to natural sunlight (at any time of year), ideally before noon, can help to reset your circadian rhythms and help ensure you start to feel more awake or sleepy at the preferable times.

Even better, whilst you're outside, why not move your body? Gentle exercise, again ideally earlier in the day, can help to support your hormones and the release of endorphins to aid mood and sleep processes. It's not that exercise in the evening isn't recommended, but any exercise you do at this time should be gentle, and in the way of winding down (stretching or Pilates are some of my personal favourites), especially if you suspect you are overly-stimulated or have trouble sleeping.

Eating patterns are another one to consider if you are struggling to nod off. Either eating too much, too close to bedtime or not eating enough and experiencing low blood sugar as a result, could all be having an impact. Leaving a few hours before your last meal and bed time helps to avoid your digestion disturbing anything, whilst choosing healthy sources of protein and fats within your meals or snacks in the lead up to bedtime can help ensure your blood sugar levels remain more stable until morning.