How to Stop Racing Thoughts in the Middle of Night
Focus on your breath., Perform progressive muscle relaxation., Perform boring tasks in the evening., Shut off the lights and electronics., Play white noise in the background., Focus on your senses.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Focus on your breath.
Deep breathing can help reduce your stress, and focusing on your breathing can help calm racing thoughts.
Start by taking deep breaths and concentrate on your inhales and exhales.
Feel your abdomen expanding and breath entering your lungs.
Concentrate on the sensations as the air is pushed out of your body as you exhale.Do some breathing exercises.
This can help calm you and distract your mind.
As you inhale, count slowly to five.
Hold the breath for a count of five.
Then slowly exhale as you could to five.
Do this five to 10 times. -
Step 2: Perform progressive muscle relaxation.
Progressive muscle relaxation is an effective way to calm your body and your mind.
To do this exercise, you will need to find a quiet comfortable place to lie down, such as in your bed.
Then, you will tense and release each of your muscle groups moving from your toes to the top of your head.Start by tightening the muscles in your toes, such as by clenching your toes.
Hold this for about 15 to 30 seconds and then release.
Relax for about 15 to 30 seconds before moving on to the next muscle group.
Keep tensing and releasing your muscles until you reach the top of your head.
By the time you finish, you should feel more relaxed. , Your thoughts may be racing because your mind is excited and hasn’t relaxed or started winding down yet.
If your body is stressed or tense, this may cause your mind to stay active.
To help your mind and body start winding down at night, do something boring or mundane.
This helps keep your mind from getting overexcited.The boring task will vary from person to person.
You may try going for a slow, quiet walk, reading a newspaper or nonfiction book, doing math problems, rearranging your shelves, or watching a documentary.
The task that you do shouldn’t excite the mind or the body.
Choose a task that relaxes you and helps your brain shut off. , Half an hour before you want to lay down, shut down all your electronics, including a television.
Turn off the lights or turn them very low.
This helps your body start producing melatonin, which promotes sleep.
Listen to soothing music, read, or lay in bed relaxing your body.
Promoting a healthy sleep environment may help you fall asleep faster, which reduces the risk of racing thoughts.Put your cell phone, tablet, and computer away.
Resist the impulse to check your e-mail once more, play a game, or check social media.
These things excite your mind and keep you keyed up, which may keep you from falling asleep. , A way you can distract your racing thoughts is to play some kind of white noise in the background.
This is a smooth, repetitive sound that can lull your brain into a sense of calm.
You focus on the noise instead of the thoughts.For example, you may want to put on a fan, the dishwasher, or the dryer.
You can find apps or sound clips on the internet of white noise, such as ocean waves, rain drops, or crickets chirping.
The white noise should be soothing enough that you can focus on it.
Make sure it’s not too loud to keep you awake. , Body awareness can help you distract yourself from racing thoughts.
When you focus on your body using your senses, this helps give your brain something to think about instead of your worries or stress.
Close your eyes and try to use the five senses to get a sense of how your body is feeling.Think about what you hear and smell.
Open your eyes and focus on what you see around you.
Decide if you taste anything.
Focus on how your body feels.
Are you cold? Sore? Think about how the clothing and blankets feel on your skin. -
Step 3: Perform boring tasks in the evening.
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Step 4: Shut off the lights and electronics.
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Step 5: Play white noise in the background.
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Step 6: Focus on your senses.
Detailed Guide
Deep breathing can help reduce your stress, and focusing on your breathing can help calm racing thoughts.
Start by taking deep breaths and concentrate on your inhales and exhales.
Feel your abdomen expanding and breath entering your lungs.
Concentrate on the sensations as the air is pushed out of your body as you exhale.Do some breathing exercises.
This can help calm you and distract your mind.
As you inhale, count slowly to five.
Hold the breath for a count of five.
Then slowly exhale as you could to five.
Do this five to 10 times.
Progressive muscle relaxation is an effective way to calm your body and your mind.
To do this exercise, you will need to find a quiet comfortable place to lie down, such as in your bed.
Then, you will tense and release each of your muscle groups moving from your toes to the top of your head.Start by tightening the muscles in your toes, such as by clenching your toes.
Hold this for about 15 to 30 seconds and then release.
Relax for about 15 to 30 seconds before moving on to the next muscle group.
Keep tensing and releasing your muscles until you reach the top of your head.
By the time you finish, you should feel more relaxed. , Your thoughts may be racing because your mind is excited and hasn’t relaxed or started winding down yet.
If your body is stressed or tense, this may cause your mind to stay active.
To help your mind and body start winding down at night, do something boring or mundane.
This helps keep your mind from getting overexcited.The boring task will vary from person to person.
You may try going for a slow, quiet walk, reading a newspaper or nonfiction book, doing math problems, rearranging your shelves, or watching a documentary.
The task that you do shouldn’t excite the mind or the body.
Choose a task that relaxes you and helps your brain shut off. , Half an hour before you want to lay down, shut down all your electronics, including a television.
Turn off the lights or turn them very low.
This helps your body start producing melatonin, which promotes sleep.
Listen to soothing music, read, or lay in bed relaxing your body.
Promoting a healthy sleep environment may help you fall asleep faster, which reduces the risk of racing thoughts.Put your cell phone, tablet, and computer away.
Resist the impulse to check your e-mail once more, play a game, or check social media.
These things excite your mind and keep you keyed up, which may keep you from falling asleep. , A way you can distract your racing thoughts is to play some kind of white noise in the background.
This is a smooth, repetitive sound that can lull your brain into a sense of calm.
You focus on the noise instead of the thoughts.For example, you may want to put on a fan, the dishwasher, or the dryer.
You can find apps or sound clips on the internet of white noise, such as ocean waves, rain drops, or crickets chirping.
The white noise should be soothing enough that you can focus on it.
Make sure it’s not too loud to keep you awake. , Body awareness can help you distract yourself from racing thoughts.
When you focus on your body using your senses, this helps give your brain something to think about instead of your worries or stress.
Close your eyes and try to use the five senses to get a sense of how your body is feeling.Think about what you hear and smell.
Open your eyes and focus on what you see around you.
Decide if you taste anything.
Focus on how your body feels.
Are you cold? Sore? Think about how the clothing and blankets feel on your skin.
About the Author
Samantha Lewis
Creates helpful guides on DIY projects to inspire and educate readers.
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