How Do I Stop Overthinking at Bedtime?

Finally, you are in bed, everything is turned off, and suddenly you mind becomes extremely active. You recall something you've said before, think about tomorrow's obligations, recall something you left undone, worry about what might happen in a week, and start thinking why are you awake now.

That's how overthinking before sleep feels like and the frustrating part here is that you might be physically exhausted but still remain mentally active. You can even try to stop your mind from thinking but become all the more aware of your thoughts.

If you've been looking on how to stop overthinking at night, it's important to realize that the problem is not just in having "too many thoughts". Scientific studies show that cognitive arousal, worry and rumination can maintain the state of arousal of the brain which hinders falling asleep. In people who have problems with insomnia, nighttime cognitive arousal has been associated with longer latency to fall asleep, decreased sleep efficiency and less total sleep duration objectively.

Thus, the solution is not to make your mind blank. The solution is to diminish the processes of your mind which constantly notify your brain that some things are left to solve.

Why Does Overthinking Get Worse at Night?

Another reason why night-time can seem cognitively noisier than day-time is that there are fewer distractions. There is nothing else to do except sit still and reflect on whatever was postponed till now.

However, here is another key difference – thought process is different from problem-solving process.

When you try to prepare for a presentation tomorrow and focus on three things you should accomplish next, that can be a good thought. When you endlessly think about possible problems without making any conclusions, it can be closer to worrying and ruminating.

There is evidence that repetitive negative thinking can interfere with sleep processes, and increased rumination and worry can exacerbate the relationship between daytime stress and cognitive arousal before sleep.(1)

It means that something that many of us experience but fail to understand is that you are not awake because you have something important to sort out. You are awake because you've entered into a loop.

Racing Thoughts at Night Are Not Always the Same as Worry

The term "racing thoughts at night" is commonly used, but there is scientific evidence suggesting that it should get more attention.

Racing thoughts can be a phenomenon where ideas, memories, plans, and possibilities constantly change instead of being stuck on one single thing. For example, one study showed that racing thoughts occurred in the evening and during bedtime for patients with sleep-onset insomnia and that bedtime racing thoughts correlated with insomnia severity.(2)

This suggests that trying to tell oneself "stop thinking" will probably not be very effective since you will be trying to suppress a process that is already very active.

The question that comes to mind in this case is: What do I need to keep in mind according to my brain?

How to Stop Overthinking at Bedtime Without Forcing Yourself to Sleep

One of the more fascinating studies in the field of sleep research centers around an incredibly simple practice.

In a polysomnographic study, they looked at the effects of listing future activities prior to going to sleep and its effects on sleep latency. Those participants who had written a more specific to-do list tended to fall asleep faster than those who were writing about things that were already done.(3)

This is helpful because a lot of us have our tomorrow's undone business stuck in our heads, thinking that by repeating ourselves we won't forget about it.

Instead, use five minutes prior to going to sleep and write what you need to do tomorrow. Make it as specific as possible:

"Submit the report before 10 AM."

"Go grocery shopping after work."

"Call the dentist."

It is not supposed to turn into your nightly ritual. It should serve as an outlet for your brain so it doesn't have to remember all this stuff.

This is one of the ways of how to calm your mind before sleep without trying to make your thoughts vanish.

Don't Turn Sleep Into a Performance

Sleep effort is another, lesser known, issue.

After experiencing some nights of bad sleep, bed time may become a test. You find yourself looking at the clock, figuring out how many hours are left and whether you will be able to do anything the next day. 

Monitoring itself increases your arousal.

Insomnia research shows that hyperarousal may involve high cognitive and emotional reactivity and interaction with an intensely sleep-reactive system.(4)

In other words, worries about sleep may be part of the problem.

That's why "I have to fall asleep right now" thought is usually not constructive.

Take away the goal of performance here. The goal during bedtime should be creating conditions for sleep, but not falling asleep on command.

If you lay awake getting more frustrated each moment, getting out of bed to do some quiet activity before returning to bed may be more helpful than clock-checking.

What Happens When You Keep Trying to Suppress Thoughts?

Here lies a key distinction between redirection of focus and suppression of thoughts.

Once you make yourself think "I am not allowed to think about work," you will still have to monitor if you are thinking about work or not. This way, the very issue that you want to push out of your consciousness may stay active.

Further investigation into pre-sleep cognitive arousal has revealed another interesting aspect concerning the effectiveness of thought control techniques, which depends on the type of cognitive arousal. The studies showed that in anxious cognitive arousal, distraction had negative influence on the sleep quality in one experimental setting.(5)

Therefore, rather than engaging in an inner struggle against each and every thought, one should learn how to accept it and move attention back to some neutral object, like deep breathing or being in bed.

Sleep and Overthinking Can Become a Daytime Problem Too

Here is yet another misconception.

If your brain frequently links your bed to worries, then your fear of not sleeping will manifest itself even before you go to bed. For example, you will ask yourself, "What if I won't be able to sleep today?"

Insomnia research shows that sleep-related rumination occurs both during the daytime and nighttime. It means that sleep-related thinking can be a round-the-clock cognitive process rather than a bedtime phenomenon. (6)

This is why, in order to improve your sleep, it is not enough just to add one more relaxation procedure at 11 PM. 

Good sleep scheduling, enough daytime activity, light exposure in the morning, proper caffeine intake time and stress management during the daytime will all decrease physiological and cognitive activation going to bed.

Why Menopause Can Make Nighttime Overthinking Feel Different

For women who are either approaching or in the midst of menopause, the phenomenon of overthinking during the night may take on added meaning.

Menopause is a period that brings along with it greater frequency of problems with insomnia, especially difficulty remaining asleep. Hot flashes and night sweats may keep a person from falling asleep, but even hormonal changes may influence the whole experience of sleep and wakefulness.

It creates a vicious circle.

A woman may wake up due to feeling hot, and once awake, she will notice the things that need to be done the next day. She becomes alert, starts worrying and falls asleep even harder. Next day there will be tiredness, lack of concentration, irritability, increased stress and, consequently, problems with sleeping next night.

Therefore, when a woman of 40 or 50 years old mentions overthinking at night, one should consider not only psychology.

When in addition to overthinking, the woman experiences night sweats, hot flashes, irregularities in the menstrual cycle, mood swings or frequent awakenings, she may have problems with sleep caused by the physiological changes associated with menopause.(7)

For a deeper look at this connection, Health etc.'s article on women's health and menopause discusses how hormonal changes can affect sleep, mood, concentration and other systems.

Can Sleep-Support Ingredients Help With This?

The matter is more complicated than referring to some products as "sleep aids."

For instance, melatonin is a hormone responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle. The use of this ingredient depends on its dosage and the correct timing since it works through affecting the circadian biology, unlike conventional sedatives. The results of a recent systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis have demonstrated that both timing and dosage influenced melatonin's effects on sleep-related outcomes.(8)

It makes a difference regarding stopping overthinking when going to bed. Melatonin might be more helpful in case the problems are related to sleep timing or initiation, while sleepless nights occur due to anxiety or unprocessed stress during the day.

Ashwagandha can be considered for another reason. This ingredient has been researched in terms of stress, anxiety, and sleep. The findings of a meta-analysis of randomised trials have demonstrated that perceived stress, anxiety and cortisol levels decreased when patients used ashwagandha preparations.(9)

That is why the combination of ashwagandha and melatonin available in the specialized sleep formula like the Health etc. Go2Sleep should be considered from two perspectives: melatonin is more concerned with the regulation of the wake-sleep cycle, whereas ashwagandha was tested in the relation to stress and sleep. 

To learn more about the science of sleep formulations, you may find interesting reading by Health etc. regarding sleep gummies for adults.

What About Women Experiencing Menopause?

In the case of menopause, it might be wise to consider the symptom of sleep as part of a more comprehensive network of symptoms, rather than considering each symptom individually.

In one case, a woman experiences night sweats, poor sleep quality, daytime tiredness, mood changes and difficulty concentrating at the same time. In focusing on just the last problem, the causes that lead to it will go unaddressed.

There are many menopause-based nutrient and botanical combinations that might include things like soy isoflavones, black cohosh, and American ginseng, among other components that might be included in formulations aimed at the needs of women. 

When Is Overthinking More Than a Bedtime Habit?

Nighttime overthinking on rare occasions may happen quite often. However, ongoing difficulties with getting good sleep require more attention.

If your troubles with falling asleep are lasting for several weeks, interfere with your daily activities or are accompanied by anxiety, depressed mood, snoring or choking while asleep, restless legs or night sweats, among others – consider contacting your healthcare provider.

The crucial thing here is that overthinking before bed time is not always the question of lack of self-control. Cognitive arousal can influence your sleep quality and chronic insomnia may intensify thoughts that prevent you from sleeping.

Conclusion

Understanding the process by which we learn to stop overthinking at night isn’t about making our brains quiet but rather learning why they remain active.

Differentiate between problem-solving and rumination. Move what you need to do tomorrow out of your working memory and into your journal. Stop thinking of sleeping as something you have to accomplish within a set timeframe. Focus on the stress during the day rather than only focusing on how you sleep at night. If you are in the menopause transition, ask yourself if the night sweats and hormonal fluctuations are causing you to become more ruminative.

Most importantly, keep in mind that an overactive brain while trying to sleep isn’t necessarily a sign of “inability to relax.” It’s actually a process of sleep neurobiology, and that makes all the difference.

References

1. Nocturnal cognitive arousal is associated with objective sleep disturbance and indicators of physiologic hyperarousal in good sleepers and individuals with insomnia disorder - 2020 Jul - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32247571/ 

2. Investigating racing thoughts in insomnia: A neglected piece of the mood-sleep puzzle? - 2021 Nov - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34555554/ 

3. The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists - 2018 Jan - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29058942/ 

4. Hyperarousal and sleep reactivity in insomnia: current insights - 2018 Jul - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30046255/ 

5. The impact of pre-sleep arousal state and strategy to control unwanted thoughts on sleep quality - 2018 May - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29295628/ 

6. Global view of vasomotor symptoms and sleep disturbance in menopause: a systematic review - 2023 Dec - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37751852/ 

7. Daytime rumination as a feature of Insomnia Disorder: sleep related cognition is not merely a problem of the night - 2015 Jun - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26742678/ 

8. Optimizing the Time and Dose of Melatonin as a Sleep-Promoting Drug: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis - 2024 Aug - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38888087/ 

9. Effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis - 2021 Sep -  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34559859/