Hi
Many people with insomnia have a common complaint: "I just can't turn off my mind at night." In the stillness of the night, when you're desperate for sleep, the mind seems to churn and keep some people awake.
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Health Tips
Schedule "Worry Time"
Every day, take some time to list and work to resolve what causes you stress. You might do this by spending some time each afternoon creating or reviewing a list of the things that contribute to stress in your life.
For example, write your worries down in one column. Then, in a second column, provide a few action items that will allow the stress to be addressed and relieved.
Some people refer to this dedicated time as “scheduled worry time.”
Address Your Stressors
Rather than being overwhelmed, break your stressors down into manageable chunks—and then get to work. For example, if you have a major project due at work in two weeks and feel overwhelmed or don’t know where to begin, identify the components causing your anxiety and make them part of the action plan. For instance:
Review the files
Speak with your coworker
Schedule a meeting
Draft the proposal
Finalize the presentation
As you accomplish the tasks day by day, you cross them off. Eventually, you can remove the stressor itself from the list.
There may be some items on the list that have no apparent resolution. This ambiguity may cause additional anxiety and zap your energy throughout the day.
If you find yourself stuck in this loop, tell yourself to let it go and come back to it tomorrow. There are other things you can focus on today. And remember, since you wrote it down, you don't have to worry that you'll forget about it.
Prepare for Sleep
It can be helpful to set aside intentional time to relax before bed to make the night a relaxing time.4 Good sleep hygiene involves stopping certain activities and establishing a familiar routine that tells your body it's time for sleep.
Disconnect
Your circadian rhythm is the internal clock that tells you when it's time for sleep. These internal rhythms can be thrown off by several things, including lack of sunlight and too much blue light from computer screens. So, a few hours before bed, turn off screens, including:
ComputersTVPhones
In addition, put aside your work and disengage from social media. There will always be more to do, but you have done enough for today. Now it's time to relax and prepare for sleep.
Spend at least 30 minutes, or perhaps as long as one or two hours, unwinding and decompressing before bedtime.
Relax
Once you've eliminated screens, fill the time with relaxing activities. You may want to try the following:
Read
Listen to music
Stretch
Take a shower or bath
Meditate or pray
You may find that establishing a nighttime ritual that incorporates some of these activities sends your body signals that it's time to wind down.
During the time before bed, or if you find yourself awake at night, you may want to further incorporate some other relaxation techniques, including:
Breathing exercisesProgressive muscle relaxationGuided imagery
These activities can distract you from the effort related to trying to fall or stay asleep. They can also reduce racing thoughts. You can find many simple techniques online.