Why do you have racing thoughts when you try to fall asleep?

If your mind seems to become more active as soon as you climb into bed, it doesn't necessarily mean that having an active mind itself is the problem.

This is particularly relevant if you're naturally a thinker type person. Thinking, analysing, problem solving and processing information can be incredibly useful during the day. The difficulty comes when that same level of mental activity continues at night and prevents you from relaxing enough to fall asleep.

In this video, I explore the different ways racing thoughts can show up when you're trying to sleep. Your mind might jump quickly from one subject to another, become focused on solving a particular problem or run through different what-if scenarios. Or you might simply find yourself processing everything that happened during your day.

Understanding which type of racing thoughts you experience is important because simply “trying to stop thinking" is too general. You don't need an empty mind to sleep well. Even as a naturally analytical thinker myself, I can have thoughts when I climb into bed and still fall asleep easily. What matters is whether you know how to decrease the intensity of your mental activity enough to transition into sleep.

I also look at the difference between distracting an overactive mind and actually training your mind to become less active. Rather than waiting until you're lying awake with racing thoughts, developing practical Sleep Skills during the day can help you learn how to proactively create the mental relaxation you need at night.

If you struggle with racing thoughts at night, an overactive mind, difficulty falling asleep, sleep onset insomnia or long-term insomnia in your 40s or 50s, this video will help you look more closely at your own thought patterns and what might be keeping your mind active at bedtime.

This is the final part of my video series exploring why it can take you longer than expected to fall asleep. If this is a regular problem for you, I also recommend watching the other videos in the series because difficulty falling asleep is rarely about just one thing.

If you're looking for personalised sleep coaching or support to fully overcome your long-term insomnia or sleep problems, you can go ahead and arrange a Sleep Assessment appointment.

Beatrix

The first video was about: Why it takes you so long to fall asleep? - Click here to watch

The second video was about: Why can't I fall asleep even when I'm tired or exhausted? - Click here to watch

The third video was about: Why do I feel nervous or anxious when I'm trying to fall asleep? - Click here to watch

It's always best to watch the entire video, but here are some chapters for you:

00:00 Introduction to why you have racing thoughts when you climbed into bed and try to fall asleep

01:44 Why you might have racing thoughts when you’re trying to fall asleep

05:10 Racing thoughts that are causing a real issue with being able to fall asleep under 30 minutes every night

07:23 How do you then train your mind to be less active when you climb into bed

10:41 Racing thoughts at night doesn't have to lead to struggling with falling asleep easily