Cutting out the noise in my head

[.Mikha'el.]

I've had sleep problems as long as I can remember. It boils down to excessive brain activity. It seems that as soon as I hit the pillow, my mind goes into overdrive. I close my eyes, and a flood of thoughts erupt in my brain. It might start off with something on my mind that day, or something else I was worried or depressed about, but it's like my mind bounces from one random thought to the next for hours and hours, the vast majority of which have nothing to do with the original thought at all. I can't even say I'm ruminating on anything, and wish it were that simple. It's just that I feel like I'm thinking about a dozen things at once...

I remember back when I did group therapy for depression some years ago. We had to do a mindfulness exercise where we all closed our eyes in order to focus on breathing, and the instructions were simple. We did not have to stop thinking about things, but whenever a thought came, we had to take note of it and then go back to focusing on breathing. Kathy, the psychologist teaching us about it says for her, thoughts come along at least once every thirty seconds. Not only does it seem more frequent for me, but the flood of so many thoughts overwhelms me and makes it hard to sleep. At this point, the vast majority of nights, I at least have to take melatonin, and even that occasionally doesn't work, and I have to resort to cold remedy or anti-nausea pills to get some rest, and it's all because my mind doesn't turn off. It has been like that since I was eight years old, and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Anyone else deal with this, and if so, what do you do about it?

 

[ImAllLikeOkWaitWat]

Listening to an audiobook like the bible dramatic version really does the trick for me. Or listen to relaxing sounds of nature or you could find videos of people doing deep breaths and listen to that till you relax. The key to dealing with this is to realize the thoughts don't matter what matters is getting into a relaxed state. Once you get into a relaxed state of mind then your thoughts will slow down naturally and you will fall asleep. Knowing your worries and concerns don't matter because thats all they are, just worries and concerns can help you put them into the proper perspective to not let them disturb you. Soon you will become desensitized to your problems because you will learn that you can't solve them in the middle of the night and the best way to solve them is to be well rested so when you get up you can address them then.

 

[Emli]

I used to be like that. God helped me overcome it through prayer. Basically, I talk to God about everything, cast all of my anxiety on Him at all times, mourn and cry, pour out my heart, and by the end of the day, I'm resting in Him, and I don't struggle with worries any longer, because He is taking care of it. Sometimes I do still struggle, but then I put on the Audio Bible until I fall asleep. Keeping your eyes on Christ and staying in His Word is all you need to overcome struggles like this (or any struggles for that matter).

Take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.

 

[timewerx]

Sorry to hear about your sleep problems.

I have similar problems as well, I try to solve it with soft music playing in the background at low volume until I get to sleep. It helps my mind focus on the music instead and I get better sleep that way.

 

[*LILAC]

Try some relaxation music that soothes the mind and some lavender oil in a diffuser that will help to relax. Another thing, try to cut down on screen time at least 2 hours before bed. I know it's a tough thing to do these days but the blue light constantly triggers the brain to stay alert. Try minimizing it and see if it helps.

 

[Take Heart]

I agree with the above posters. I used to have an overactive mind during bedtime. I'd lay awake for hours with all these thoughts buzzing in my head. I'm a pretty good sleeper most days now. As mentioned, I used to listen to soft soothing worship music while sleeping and eventually.. I'd sleep within like..an hour or 2. Sometimes earlier than that. I also would purposefully stay up late until I was sleepy and then would fall asleep within minutes of lying down. Nowadays, I intentionally tell myself: finally, time to sleep and get some rest from a longgg day. I also have to intentionally stop thinking about anything other than how tired I am (even though I may not be yet) and I just close my eyes and let the tiredness overtake me until I'm asleep. The worship tip is great. I highly recommend giving it a 1-2 week trial.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

I use to have a hard time shutting down too. I learned that listening to the scriptures at night soothed my mind and helped my body to relax. I recommend actively listening to the Psalms.

 

[teresa]

sometimes I just have to give in an take a prescription sleeping aide, but while I can get some decent rest, it often makes me sleep walk, and I've eaten entire boxes of donuts while asleep!!

some of these meds make headlines with people even driving cars while asleep

 

[mama2one]

had the thoughts going when younger but not any more

to get to sleep, I use a sound machine
room dark and cooler (6o's is good)
soft Christian music puts me to sleep
usually, I'm asleep by the second or third song

 

[Mel333]

I've had sleep problems as long as I can remember. It boils down to excessive brain activity. It seems that as soon as I hit the pillow, my mind goes into overdrive. I close my eyes, and a flood of thoughts erupt in my brain. It might start off with something on my mind that day, or something else I was worried or depressed about, but it's like my mind bounces from one random thought to the next for hours and hours, the vast majority of which have nothing to do with the original thought at all. I can't even say I'm ruminating on anything, and wish it were that simple. It's just that I feel like I'm thinking about a dozen things at once...

I remember back when I did group therapy for depression some years ago. We had to do a mindfulness exercise where we all closed our eyes in order to focus on breathing, and the instructions were simple. We did not have to stop thinking about things, but whenever a thought came, we had to take note of it and then go back to focusing on breathing. Kathy, the psychologist teaching us about it says for her, thoughts come along at least once every thirty seconds. Not only does it seem more frequent for me, but the flood of so many thoughts overwhelms me and makes it hard to sleep. At this point, the vast majority of nights, I at least have to take melatonin, and even that occasionally doesn't work, and I have to resort to cold remedy or anti-nausea pills to get some rest, and it's all because my mind doesn't turn off. It has been like that since I was eight years old, and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Anyone else deal with this, and if so, what do you do about it?

Yes, I too used to not be able to sleep due to overthinking.

Chamomile tea helps me to sleep now as my thoughts tend to keep thinking too. Also not looking at my phone, computer or tv before bed helps. A routine is also key to a good night's rest.

Maybe write down all the things you need to get done the next day and then focus on ticking them off.

I would think it's linked to anxiety, overthinking the future and the past. The present needs to practice relaxing in Christ, not dwelling on the past and to write down what needs to be done for the future. Then you won't have anything to think about.

I read somewhere that depression is linked to dwelling on the past and anxiety is worrying about the future. So the present becomes stuck in turmoil.

 

[Lost4words]

My mind works overtime too at night. Can be awake for hours. Stresses of life etc etc.

May God help you to sleep well my friend.

 

[Arbown]

Several suggestions here:

• You may be eating something you're allergic to, and your racing mind is a symptom. I would cut all caffeine and sugar from my diet for awhile and see if the situation improves. It wouldn't hurt to to keep a food diary to see if other things (dairy, wheat, eggs, etc) are an issue for you. Watch processed foods that have lots of additives to, since you might be reacting to those. A lot of ADD-like symptoms are actually allergic reaction symptoms.
  
• If you aren't exercising regularly, do so; it can help to be physically tired before going to bed. Likewise, get a schedule for when to go to bed and when to wake. You want your body to get used to a regular rhythm so it knows it's time to sleep.
  
• Do you have someone to talk to about all these things on your mind? It might help to do a nightly conversation an hour or so before bed. The Holy Spirit is also a good listener. If it's worry related, pray and give those to God every night as they come.
• Increase your magnesium intake. Not only will it make you sleepy naturally, it will help to prevent anxiety while helping your muscles out.
• You may have a thyroid issue or a sleep disorder. Racing thoughts can be a symptom for both.
  
• Pick something you really, really love to think about once you get in bed. Write a story in your head. Recite something you memorized. Day dreaming is helpful if you tend toward that, since it will make you focus.
  
• Try fasting for 3 days (drinking water only). Ketosis is an amazing thing, and will help to clean out toxins in your body that can cause odd physical issues.

The devil and I had a showdown over OCD symptoms due to a thyroid disorder. Every time he sent anxious thoughts at me, I read or quote scripture back. This took persistence (it didn't get better at once), but eventually Pavlov's Dog won the day and the devil gave up.