How do you fall asleep if your thoughts are racing through your head?
You lie down in bed, turn off the light, close your eyes, and hope for a sound sleep. But instead of rest, a “night cinema” turns on in your head: memories of mistakes from five years ago, made-up dialogues, anxiety about tomorrow, or endless to-do lists.
Psychologists call this state rumination (“imaginary chewing gum”). The more we try to force ourselves to sleep, the more irritated we become and the further we push sleep away.
Why does the brain become active at night and how can you turn off the flow of thoughts to finally get some sleep?
Why do thoughts overwhelm us right before bed?
Throughout the day, our brains are busy: work, gadgets, communication, household tasks. We are constantly receiving external stimuli.
When we go to bed and the silence sets in, our brain finally has space to process the information we’ve accumulated during the day. All the unexpressed emotions, unlived anxieties, and unresolved tasks we’ve been putting off during the day come to the surface.
5 techniques to help you “turn off” your head and fall asleep
If you find yourself tossing and turning in bed and scrolling through your thoughts for 20–30 minutes, try the following methods:
1. Dump your thoughts on paper (the “Dump Note” method)
Place a notebook and pen next to your bed (important: not your phone!). If your thoughts keep you awake, turn on the dim light and write down everything that worries you: to-do lists, worries, ideas.
How it works: The brain scrolls through thoughts because it’s afraid of forgetting something. When you record it on paper, the nervous system receives a signal: “The information is stored, you can relax.”
2. Use proper breathing (the “4–7–8” technique)
When the brain is active, the body is in a state of light tonus. Slowing down your breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation:
Take a slow breath through your nose for 4 seconds.
Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth with a sound for 8 seconds.
Repeat 4–8 cycles.
3. The 20-minute rule: get out of bed
Staying in bed and trying to “force yourself to sleep” is a major mistake. This is how a neural connection is formed in the brain: “Bed = anxiety and thinking.”
What to do: If you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up. Go to a dimly lit room and do something monotonous (read a paperback book, listen to quiet music) until you feel sleepy again. Return to bed only when your eyes start to droop.
4. Cognitive Shuffling Mind Game
This is a way to “pollute” the brain with chaotic information to interrupt logical anxious thinking.
Choose any long word (for example, “Calm”).
For the first letter C, think of several words that are not related to each other (Sun, Table, Dog, Elephant).
Then the letter P (Umbrella, Train, Pillow).
Continue like this. This simulates the chaotic thoughts that occur just before falling asleep.
5. Sequential muscle relaxation
It is impossible to relax the mind if the body is tense.
Alternately tense for 5 seconds and completely relax different muscle groups: from your toes, calves, thighs, and all the way to your face and jaw muscles.
Pay attention to the feeling of warmth and heaviness in your muscles after relaxation.
What exactly should NOT be done at night?
Watching the clock: Counting down the time (“If I fall asleep now, I’ll only get 4 hours of sleep”) triggers a new surge of adrenaline and anxiety.
Pick up your phone: The blue light from the screen blocks the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone), and content on social media only further stimulates the nervous system.
When does anxiety insomnia require professional attention?
If problems with falling asleep last for more than 3 weeks in a row, and nighttime thoughts are accompanied by a constant feeling of fear, panic, or exhaustion during the day, this may be a sign of chronic insomnia or an anxiety disorder. Psychotherapy helps to effectively restore healthy sleep without dependence on sleeping pills.