How do I stop my mind racing and get some sleep?

• Martin turns off the light to fall asleep, but his mind quickly springs into action.
• Racing thoughts about work deadlines, his overdue car service, and his father’s recent surgery occupy his mind.
• But what’s going on when your mind is racing at night?

It can happen to anyone

In bed, with no other visual or sound cues to occupy the mind, many people start to have racing thoughts that keep them awake. This can happen at the start of the night, or when they awake in the night. The good news is there are effective ways to reduce these racing thoughts, and to help get some sleep. To do this, let’s take a step back and talk about insomnia.

What is insomnia?

• Right now, up to six in every ten people have regular insomnia symptoms.
• Just like Martin, many people with insomnia find as soon as they get into bed, they feel alert and wide awake.
• Over time the simple act of getting into bed can become a trigger to feel more alert and awake.

1. Re-learn to associate bed with sleep

Stimulus control therapy can help re-build the relationship between bed and sleep. Follow these simple steps every night of the week:
Over several nights, this therapy builds the relationship between bed and sleep, and reduces the relationship between bed and feeling alert and having racing thoughts.

2. Distract yourself with fond thoughts

• Negative thoughts in bed or worrying about the consequences of losing sleep can make us feel more alert, worried, and make it more difficult to sleep.
• Try to replay a fond memory, movie, or TV show in your mind, to distract yourself from these negative thoughts.

3. Relax into sleep

• Relaxation therapy for insomnia aims to reduce alertness and improve sleep.
• One way is to progressively tense and relax muscle groups throughout your body, known as guided progressive muscle relaxation therapy.
• Part of relaxing into sleep is avoiding doing work in the late evening or screen-based activities right before bed.

4. Worry earlier in the day

• Schedule some “worry time” earlier in the day, so these thoughts don’t happen at night.
• It can also help to write down some of the things that worry you.

5. Know waking in the night is normal

• Sleep occurs in different “cycles” during the night.
• Each cycle lasts for about 90 minutes, and includes different stages of light, deep, and dreaming (REM) sleep.
• Most of our deep sleep occurs in the first half of the night, and most of our light sleep in the second half.

6. What if these don’t work?

• This non-drug therapy targets the underlying causes of insomnia, and leads to long-lasting improvements in sleep, mental health and daytime function.
• The Sleep Health Foundation has several evidence-based resources about sleep health and insomnia.