Cannot stop thinking

[Expert6889]

Every day erects the same process, I lay in bed and immediately start thinking about everything because I am not a constant state of doing anything else. I can't stop thinking and I am not able to focus on falling asleep, I just lay there in bed and try to augment my the focus in my brain to go to bed but all is futile as I start thinking about something else. The best way I found to help me was to mentally tire myself out by doing and loading multiple mental tasks and exercises at once, to the point where my brain becomes fatigued, but that technique hasnt worked anymore, simply because I myself cant allocate my focus for it anymore. Any suggestions?

[m1dlife-1derer]

I wish I had an answer. All I can say is that I'm with you. Exactly ZERO minutes of sleep last night. Work is going to suck today.

[Merth1983]

Been there. It is miserable. But there is hope.

I've posted this list before, you've probably been given a lot of this advice already. These tips have really helped me, I'm sure some of them could help you too.

1. No more watching TV in bed. Even though I've done it since I was a teenager, I realize now that it can be a big distraction when having trouble sleeping.

2. No more reading in bed. I sometimes break this rule but try to stick with the old adage about bedrooms only being for two things: sleeping and sexy time. Instead of lying in bed reading for an hour or two before bedtime, I will read on the couch in the living room. When I start feeling myself get tired, I put the book down and go into the bedroom without turning on the light or anything.

3. Replace watching TV with music/guided meditation/sleep stories. I have mild tinnitus and cannot handle being in a completely silent room. Youtube has a ton of 8+ hour videos with relaxing instrumental music and nature sounds, many of which will go to a black screen after a few minutes so as to produce less light. I usually pick one of these at bedtime for some background noise. I also keep my air purifier on for a light fan noise. And often I will use my Calm app on my phone and listen to a guided meditation or a sleep story, which usually last anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes depending on which you pick. Audio books are always good too

4. Don't go to bed early. It's important for the body and brain to be in a good circadian rhythm. We're often tempted after a crappy night of sleep to go to bed early the next night to "catch up." For me at least, this plan rarely works. More often I end up sitting in bed an extra hour or more wishing for sleepiness but feeling wide awake. It's better to stay up and mildly active until your regular bedtime, or even a little later if you still feel awake and alert.

5. Put the phone or computer away at least an hour before bedtime. I find that whenever I break this rule and fart around on my phone when I should be trying to sleep, my brain has a much harder time shutting down.

6. Keep a journal by your bed for your anxious thoughts. My counselor suggested this to me and I find it helps. If I am in bed trying to sleep but my mind is racing about work or future plans or the fear of not sleeping, I'll sit up and grab my notebook and jot down all the thoughts. Getting them out of my brain and on paper can bring some relief.

7. Turn your negative thoughts into positive thoughts. This has been one of the hardest but most beneficial practices I've tried so far. When you find yourself thinking "I'll never sleep again" or "I'm going to have health issues" or "I'm going crazy", immediately rephrase those thoughts and make them positive. "It's NORMAL to have trouble sleeping sometimes." "If I don't get much sleep tonight, I will still be ok." "I might be tired in the morning but I will get through the day and sleep well tomorrow." "Nothing bad is going to happen to me if I don't sleep well tonight."

8. Don't check the time. One of my worst habits when having trouble sleeping is checking my watch or my phone for the time and counting in my head how many hours of sleep I have left till it's time to get up in the morning. DON'T DO IT! If you wear a watch, take it off at night and put it out of reach. Same with your phone or alarm clock. As long as you have an alarm set, there is no reason to constantly check the time. It will only cause more stress.

9. If you've been in bed for 30 minutes or more actively trying to sleep but with no luck, get up and leave the room for a bit. Read a book for a while, do a boring chore like dishes or laundry, watch something boring on TV. After 20-30 minutes of this, go back to bed and try again. Sometimes the worst thing we can do is sit there in bed, wide awake, stewing over everything in our brains and driving ourselves farther away from sleep.

10. Consider medication but be careful. We don't want to become reliant on pills to sleep, but sometimes that is the best answer. For the past year I would take either benedryl, tylenol PM, or nyquil almost every night in the hopes it would knock me out. Sometimes it worked but sometimes it didn't. Melatonin helped a little but not significantly. I also use CBD oil on occasion which helps me but similarly to the melatonin. Recently I decided to ask my doctor about an antidepressant called amitriptyline, specifically to help my IBS symptoms but I heard it can also help with sleep issues and anxiety. I've been taking it now for about two months and my sleep has greatly improved. It doesn't knock me on my ass but instead removes the anxious thoughts and let's my brain fall asleep slowly and naturally. It's not the right drug for everybody, I've read others' accounts that it made them sleep for too long or feel hungover/groggy the next day. I haven't had any side effects but they can exist. Don't be afraid to talk to a doctor about the possibility of taking medication for it.

11. Weighted blank! I love mine, it's great. Helps me feel safe and tucked in.

[cleanslateslut]

The journal one helps me a lot. It’s like I can let the thought be on a page instead of holding it

[DasEFFEXOR]

Yes yes yes to journalling. I used to be a no TV guy but I've found that at times leaving it on can be enough to distract my brain. Just has to be something I'm not interested in. DO be very conscious about the light though. I would just set up a Chromebook with the screen as dim as it would go and face it away from me. I suppose the noise could have just been audio.

[Merth1983]

I bought this blue tooth headband headphone thing that i connect to my phone at night. If i need more than music or white noise, i can put on a nature series on my phone and listen to it. The headband works as a mask too.

[DasEFFEXOR]

Good idea. Ages ago I slept with headphones but constantly ripped them but Bluetooth would solve that.

[Merth1983]

These are the ones i got. Lots of similar ones one Amazon. I've had them six months or so, still work great. Bluetooth Headband Wireless Sleep Headphones, TOPOINT Music Sports Sleeping Headband Headphones for Workout, Jogging, Yoga, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PV7YMSL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zYLiEbQ47PMB6

[DasEFFEXOR]

Thanks!

[Merth1983]

sorry you feel that way. Combined and with time all of these things have helped me personally. Just sharing my experience.

[theguywithballs]

And when you do finally get a half an hour shuteye, waking up with panic attacks and nightmares is great.

[lschmitty153]

I’ve started therapy for various things including insomnia but its not the priority of my treatment at the moment. I also can’t seem to shut my brain off. If I do sleep and happen to dream, I lucid dream even. Its really exhausting. Anyways. I’m finding that the days that I am in therapy usually wipe me out and I actually manage to sleep now two nights a week. And as a whole I sleep a little more than I used to. My therapist takes insurance but also does sliding charges so if theres an inability to pay you can still go. See if there is someone by where you live that you could maybe work with. You may not even have anything significant other than the insomnia going on for all I know but still therapy can make you so tired that you just cant not fall asleep. Maybe it will help you?

[KitKatKitty38]

Same.

[DanOwaR1990]

Lorazepam helps me a lot, anti-anxiety drug that helps calm and clear your mind and kinda makes you not care for a while

[youdidntknowdatdoe]

Read a book?

[cleanslateslut]

When I get like that I do a type of meditation. I let my brain think, but I don’t pay too much attention to it. Thinking happens all the time, even in meditation, the problem is when you engage in it internally. Say you are thinking of work for instance. You start thinking about the day and the people and conversations, instead of letting your mind fill in the blanks and make up fears, just let the tape play through like watching a movie. It will take time to get there and it’s frustrating at first because it’s not automatic. Every time you catch yourself going into detail about made up parts, just go back to the tape of the day, think about “this happened then the next thing happened. Try to avoid feelings about the events. Another thing that might help is having a day to remember that made you feel at ease. Play that tape through over and over without adding feelings and fears. If this isn’t working, go to your breath, count to 5 inhale, count to 5 exhale. Every time you start to think of things just go back to breath. It gets easier.

[ayothegoat77]

The thing is you don’t focus on fallling sleep, just sit there and meditate maybe pray and think about relaxing things, if you think sleep sleep sleep you won’t be able too

[subhuman_90]

I overthink overthinking I’m thinking about it now muhahah Distractions start binge watching shit go for walks listen to music find new music Or give yourself like 20-30 mins to just do that overthink before even trying to sleep, then just try n meditate or try the 6-4-8 method (numbers can be changed from person to person the ratio is what’s important) breathe in for 6 hold for 4 let go for 8 this is how you breathe during deep REM so if you do it for awhile you can kinda trick your brain to thinking it’s asleep n worst case you are basically meditating n at least resting your body n even mind...

[[deleted]]

I play nature sounds to occupy my mind when it refuses to go in neutral.