This post will show you ways on how to stop overthinking at night and get a restful sleep.
Is your chatty mind keeping you up at night?
You toss and turn, and count your sheeps but thoughts continuously race through your mind.
What’s worse is that you’ve already been thinking about the same thing over, and over, and over again.
And just when you thought you have “thought it through”, hoping to put those thoughts to peace, they come back to haunt you all over again.
If this sounds like you, read on to find out how to stop overthinking at night and get the restful sleep that you deserve.
TABLE OF CONTENT
What Is Overthinking
Essentially, overthinking is excessive thinking about a thing, person or situation.
You could be thinking about it for days, weeks or even years.
With overthinking, you have a tendency to over analyse a situation, over-criticise yourself and others who may be involved, and have continuous “what if” thoughts or create loops imaginary scenerios.
The thinking is excessive to the point that it keeps you up at night, gives you anxiety, and it affects your action, decision making and the way you show up.
Overthinking may also cause physical symptoms like chest pain or heaviness, fatigue, change in appetite, muscle tensions, and difficulty concentrating.
Note: Overthinking is not a mental illness but it might be a symptom of depression, anxiety, panic disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Why We Overthink
Overthinking happens to everyone.
Some are better at handling it than others (and there are those who might not think about it at all).
There are many reasons as to why we overthinking, below are some of the common factors:
- Stress — From work to relationship and money stress, it’s easy overthink and worry about things that we care about or has an impact on our life and affects our wellbeing.
- Perfectionism — The need to want everything to work out exactly as imagined or planned could leave perfectionist stuck in limbo. Rather than taking action, perfectionist will over think and over analyze until it’s “perfect.”
- Fear of mistake or failure — Similar to perfectionism, the fear of mistake or failure can keep us stuck in our heads and stop us from moving forward. The thought of failing paralyzes us, and thinking about it feels like a safer option.
- History of emotional trauma — Our past experiences can make us vulnerable. Those with a history of emotional trauma may experience difficulty showing up and overthink a situation, especially if it’s trauma related, to protect themselves.
- People pleasers — The belief that it’s their job to make everyone happy gives people pleasers a lot of pressure. They over think and over analyse every interaction, over criticise their own words and action, and think ways for people to like them more.
- A symptom of mental health condition — While overthinking isn’t a mental health condition but it could be a symptom of mental health illnesses like depression and anxiety disorder. If overthinking is negatively impacting your life, get medical or professional help as soon as possible.
- Habit — Overthinking can be an unintentional bad habit. Sometimes we are so stuck in our thoughts that we believe thinking is the only way out. Rather than talking about it or taking action, we overthink ourselves to exhaustion or until a solution comes up.
Related: 7 Simple Ways To Improve Your Mental Health
How To Stop Overthinking At Night
Thinking too much of anything is never a good idea. It can negatively impact your mental and physical health, your judgment, focus and productivity. Here are 12 ways to help you manage overthinking at night for a peaceful sleep.
12 Ways To Stop Overthinking At Night
1. Journal
Overthinking is internal conversation that we have with ourselves.
Rather than keeping them all inside our head, why not write it all out?
Journaling is a great way to clear the mind and reduce excessive thinking. By putting your thoughts onto paper, you limit intrusive and negative thoughts from running through your head, gain clarity on what you’ve been thinking about, and move your focus back into the present moment.
Below are some overthinking journal prompts to ask yourself:
- What are you overthinking about?
- Why are you overthinking?
- How has overthinking support you?
- What are the fears or worries behind these thoughts?
- What control do you have over the thoughts that you’re thinking about?
- Do you feel safe to release these thoughts? Why or why not?
Related: How To Start Journaling: 7 Tips for Beginners
2. Schedule your worries
Rather than letting your thoughts go wild, dedicate a time and day for your worries.
By doing this, you become intentional about your overthinking, and it trains your mind to not overthink outside of the allotted time, thus, reducing its impact on your sleep.
This scheduled session could be every Sunday afternoon or 15-20 minute a day of letting your mind think and wander. Feel free to add journaling to this routine so you can record your thoughts and organise them.
To make it more fun, give this scheduled session a name. I like to call mine the “Thinking Minutes.”
3. Talk to a friend
Friendship is a great source of remedy.
Find a trusted friend to share your worries and the things that’s been keeping you up at night.
They could give you advice, help you break down your thoughts, process negative emotions, and give you a fresh perspective on your situation.
4. Remove yourself from your bedroom
Don’t overthink in bed.
This is a bad habit and I am guilty of it as well.
If you mind is chatty, move yourself to another room.
This helps your mind disassociate your overthinking and worries from your bed and can help you think more clearly.
5. Meditation
Carve out time each evening to sit in silence.
Meditation can calm the mind, reduce impulsive thoughts or negative emotions, and bring you back to the present moment. With regular practice, you become more aware of your thoughts and emotions, reduce your needs to react to these thoughts and emotions, and gain insights and control on your thought patterns.
If you don’t enjoy meditation, consider mindfulness exercise or activities like deep breathing, doodling, or colouring pages.
6. Aromatherapy
This method might not be for everyone especially if you’re someone who dislike or is sensitive to smell.
But if you’re not sensitive to scents, aromatherapy can be a wonderful way to calm your mind and ease tension in your body, setting the stage for a restful night’s sleep.
- Lavender — A popular essential oils for sleep, this soothing scent is known to calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep quality. Diffusing lavender oil or spritzing it to your pillow and bedsheets can help you drift off into a peaceful slumber.
- Ylang Ylang — A sweet and floral-scented oil with calming properties to help reduce stress and promote a sense of well-being. Ylang Ylang can help lower blood pressure and slow down the heart rate, making it easier to relax and fall asleep.
- Sandalwood — With its rich, woody aroma, sandalwood is known for its grounding and relaxing effects. It has been used in traditional medicine to relieve anxiety, tension, and insomnia, an excellent choice to add to your evening routine.
- Frankincense — This earthy scent is often used in meditation practices due to its ability to deepen breathing and induce a state of tranquility. It can help quiet the mind and prepare the body for restful sleep.
- Chamomile — Chamomile is well-known for its calming and sedative effects. It can help reduce anxiety and promote a peaceful mind, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night.
- Neroli — Derived from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree, neroli has a calming, floral fragrance that is both uplifting and soothing. It is effective in reducing stress and anxiety, which can contribute to better sleep quality.
7. Limit your caffeine intake
Our mind and body can stay alert through the night due to the caffeine we consumed during the day.
Avoid any caffeinated drinks and food in the afternoon so your body can relax and unwind in the evening.
If you find yourself feeling tired during midday, consider non-caffeinated, energy booster alternatives like green juice, green or protein smoothies, or superfood drinks.
8. Emotional Freedom Technique
This might be an unconventional method but it works like magic on helping you get better sleep at night.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a non-invasive alternative therapy that focuses on tapping the acupuncture points on your body to treat specific issues, and release negative feelings and emotions.
This technique can be useful for overthinkers because tapping can help release anxious thoughts and negative emotions, and address underlying root causes leads to overthinking and sleepless nights.
EFT can also benefit people who deal with issues like stress, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, cravings, and weight loss.
9. Avoid digitals
Avoid any digitals at least 30 minutes or more before you sleep. This includes television, computer, laptops, tablets and phones.
Screen time in the evening can disrupt your body’s melatonin production, leading to poor quality of your sleep. Not only that, but it prevents you from from unwinding and reflecting on your day, which is essential for a restful night’s sleep.
Here are some calming bedtime activities that don’t involve any digital, technology or screen time:
- Reading
- Knitting or doing a crafty art that you love
- Talking or cuddling with loved ones
- Journaling
- Playing or cuddling with your pet
- Yin yoga
- Meditation
- Listening to soft soothing music
- Breathing exercises
- A warm bath
Related: 17 Sunday Evening Reset & Relax Ideas You Need to Try
10. Drink herbal tea
Relax your mind with a calming cup of herbal tea.
Like aromatherapy, these non-caffeinated tea can soothe the nervous system, release stress and promote a sense of calm and peace.
To avoid midnight toilet visits, enjoy the tea at least 1 hour before bed.
Here are some of the best herbal tea for sleep:
- Chamomile — A popular choice for promoting sleep, chamomile is known for its mild sedative effects that can help reduce anxiety and relax the muscles, making it easier to drift off into a peaceful sleep.
- Valerian Root — Used for centuries as a natural remedy for insomnia, valerian root can help calm the mind, ease anxiety and improve sleep quality.
- Lavender — Lavender tea has a soothing aroma and taste that can help calm your mind and reduce stress. Drinking lavender tea before bed can promote relaxation and improve overall sleep quality.
- Lemon Balm — This lemon-scented herb can help ease anxiety, reduce restlessness, and improve sleep by promoting relaxation.
Time saver: Complement journaling with a cup of herbal tea.
11. Keep yourself busy
Do you have too much time on your hand?
Some people have a tendency to overthinking when they have too much free time on their hand. Rather than making good use of this free time to learn and create new experiences, they have redirected it to overthinking instead.
The solution? Keep yourself busy.
Find a new hobby, learn a new language, sharpen your skills, go out with friends, read, etc.
Whatever you do, don’t allow yourself to dwell your free time on excessive and non-productive thinking.
12. Seek professional help
Severe overthinking can lead to chronic insomnia, negatively impacting your daily life like decision-making, your health and productivity. If you’re experiencing these challenges, it may be time to seek professional support.
Whether it’s a medical doctor, licensed therapist, counselor, or life coach, speak to a trusted professional who can help you identify the root cause of your overthinking and insomnia.
Conclusion
You deserve a good night sleep.
If racing thoughts have been keeping you up at night then these overthinking solutions can help. They will back calm and peace, decrease the chatters in the your mind, ease your nervousness and improve your sleep quality.
Thank you for promoting health and wellness. Getting a good night’s rest is crucial, so I am happy to learn how to stop overthinking. Herbal teas can also be beneficial to us.