Introduction:
Sleep can immensely affect the individual’s health and the organizations for which they work. Experiencing racing thoughts at night can be difficult to deal with and can aggravate one’s stress and anxiety. Simply staying awake in bed can make matters worse. One must focus on doing something relaxing which will make one feel tired. Rapid thoughts can make one feel out of control or feel like they are going crazy. Managing stress, using distraction and relaxation techniques, and so on can help retard one’s thoughts and get a good night’s sleep.
What Is the Importance of Getting a Good Sleep?
A good night’s sleep has numerous physical and mental health benefits, as follows:
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Reduces stress levels.
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Builds a strong immune system.
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Poses a low risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other serious health issues.
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Improves mood and cognitive function.
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Reduces the risk of safety incidents or accidents.
Why Does One Experience Racing Thoughts at Night?
Daydreaming before bed is normal and can be calming, but experiencing racing thoughts can be distressing. A strong mind-body connection exists in the human body. But for those who stay awake while lying in bed, their thoughts may not be specifically positive. So, when the thoughts are stressful, the fight-or-flight system of the body gets activated. With time, this habit of experiencing thoughts in bed gets reinforced like a vicious loop. Hence, the human brain becomes conditioned to start worrying when one lies down in bed at night. The bed itself becomes associated with anxiety and worry.
Experiencing such racing thoughts during particularly stressful times is acceptable. However, if one experiences such situations repeatedly, especially when one does not feel stressed about anything, then it may be a cause for concern. Racing thoughts may feel like:
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Different thoughts that enter and exit spontaneously without any pause.
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The mind may seem to switch between different thoughts, topics, and scenarios.
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Experiencing various ‘what if’ thoughts like ‘What if I leave the door open?’, ‘What if I forget my office file tomorrow?’, and so on.
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Running through various scenarios for the next day or the following week continuously on a constant loop in the head.
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Worries can be accompanied by a few physical symptoms like fast breathing, rapid heartbeat, chest tightness, or sweating.
How Can One Quieten an Active Mind to Enjoy a Good Sleep?
The following are some of the ways one can quieten an active mind:
Scheduling ‘Worry Time’: Scheduled ‘worry time’ is when one sits down at a particular time of the day and jots down the causes for one’s stress and anxiety and lists a few actions in which one can overcome them. One can name the source of stress, release worries from their mind, enlist ways in which the stress can be relieved, and enjoy a sense of accomplishment when one manages their stress.
If the stress-causing thoughts appear at night, then one must say to themselves that they need not worry about the thought right now and that they can think and work on it the next day during their scheduled worry time. These affirming thoughts can ‘turn off’ the racing thoughts and help one sleep better.
Preparing a To-Do List: It can be hard to remember every part of the agenda that one needs to carry out the next day. This can be dealt with by jotting down the things to be done on a piece of paper or a notebook. Just five minutes before going to bed, one can enlist all the things that need to be done the next day. By this, one can get relief from bothering thoughts and will be able to sleep better.
Letting the Muscles Relax Fully: One must relieve tension from their body, which will make it easy to let go of stressful thoughts. This can be done by lying down on a flat surface and allowing the body to go limp. Then, one must take a deep breath and exhale. Following this, one must squeeze and release one section of the body at a time, starting with the toes, then heels, knees, thighs, belly, and so on. The forehead should be the last. This will make the body feel extremely relaxed.
Slowing the Breath: Slowing down the breathing can help slow down the thoughts. One can do this by placing a hand on one's heart and feeling the rhythm. Then, one must breathe deeply for four seconds and then breathe out slowly. This can be repeated till one can feel the heartbeat slow down. This also eases the thoughts as well.
No Screen Time Before Bed: Electronic gadgets like mobile phones, tablets, and so on can interfere with one’s sleep. These gadgets emanate blue light, which signals the body to stop producing melatonin (the hormone that controls sleep). These instead signal the brain to stay alert. The best tip to enjoy a peaceful sleep is to keep the electronic gadgets out of one’s bedroom.
Further, watching or reading any stressful or unpleasant news before sleeping can make those thoughts linger in the mind. Also, certain apps, news, and websites are designed to keep the brain engaged. It is advisable to refrain from using electronic gadgets one to two hours before bed or at least 30 minutes before bed.
Practicing 4-7-8 Breathing: In this method, one inhales for a count of four, holds for seven, and exhales out for eight. Repeating this for at least five to seven times can retard the heart rate. One can also follow mindfulness meditation to escape from negative and racing thoughts.
Maintaining a Consistent Sleep Schedule: One of the important aspects of good sleep hygiene is going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Also, one can read a book before bedtime. It must be remembered that one must read a lighthearted book rather than a thriller novel as disturbing thoughts can race through the mind after reading such books. One can even listen to soothing music, do meditation, or journal one’s thoughts.
Focussing on the Senses: One can steer away from stressful thoughts by finding a relaxing way to stimulate each of the five senses. To stimulate the sense of sight, one can use guided imagery, images of a peaceful place, coloring mandalas, and so on. To stimulate the sense of smell, aromatherapy or scented candles can be used. The sense of touch can be stimulated by taking a warm bath, wrapping oneself in a weighted blanket, doing light yoga, and self-massaging. The sense of hearing can be stimulated by listening to instrumental music, white noise, and sound machines. To stimulate the sense of taste, chamomile tea or a sleep-friendly snack can be consumed.
Making the Bedroom an Ideal Place to Sleep: The bedroom should be used only for sleeping purposes, and it should be an ideal space to relax. It should be kept neat and should be furnished with soothing colors and textures rather than stimulating ones. Electronic gadgets should be kept outside the bedroom. The temperature in the bedroom should be turned down, and curtains or shades can be used to keep the room dark and to induce sleep. Clocks and alarm clocks can be kept away from the bed to avoid checking the time frequently and to stop worrying about not having sufficient time to get the needed rest.
Conclusion:
Stress and anxiety can result in racing thoughts at night that can interfere with one's sleep. One can quieten one's mind by identifying one's stress, following a healthy bedtime routine, and scheduling time to attend to one's worries. Following a few other tips, as mentioned above, can help quieten one's and can enable one to achieve a good night's sleep. It is normal to experience worrying thoughts occasionally. But if it occurs frequently, then it can be an indicator of a specific stressor that impacts one's life, and it is advisable to seek professional help.
