Overthinking Keeping You Up? Calming Techniques For a Restful Sleep

By Mansurat Zakari 

Photo Source: Pexels

You lay down hoping to get some sleep and give your aching head some rest, your tired body some respite, and your racing mind a break. Then you realize, of all times to show off, your mind decides now is the best time to display its prowess. Ignoring your need for sleep, it embarks on a thinking marathon, like it hopes to break some world record! To describe this experience as frustrating is to say the least.

In this article, we would look at how overthinking affects sleep as well as calming techniques to quieten your mind so you can get the sleep you need. And before you say calming techniques rarely work for you, have you tried the various approaches to progressive muscle relaxation, body scan meditation, deep breathing, and visualization? You will learn new approaches in this article!

How Overthinking Affects Your Ability to Relax and Fall Asleep

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Your mind starts to open every pocket of experience bouncing from one negative thought to the other. That conversation where you said the wrong things and that time you made a mess of yourself. It may even start to feel like torture as your mind does the thorough job of replaying all of your embarrassing moments. This here is what is regarded as overthinking.

It is quite a common occurrence, and studies suggest that up to 70% of adults experience overthinking to some degree. It has been attributed to factors like the stress of daily life, social media use, and the predominant fast-paced lifestyle in today’s world. 

Why does this affect your ability to fall asleep? Most times, amidst the loud voices in your mind, you may try to force yourself to sleep, laying down quietly, closing your eyes, listening to a soothing song, but nothing works. This is because the train of thoughts that have filled your mind creates some sort of mental alertness that makes it difficult to enter a sleep state.

It activates the body’s stress response leading to the release of hormones like cortisol which hinders sleepiness. This may further trigger negative emotions like fear and anxiety worsening the situation. 

An inability to sleep means your body misses out on the unique chance to rejuvenate hence you may start to suffer from cognitive impairment the next day: reduced focus, difficulty concentrating, and difficulty making decisions. You may also face some mood disturbances including increased irritability, anxiety, and depression. 

And due to the restorative role sleep plays in the body, getting inadequate sleep can leave you more susceptible to illness and in the long run, can lead to an increased risk of chronic health problems like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. 

Benefits of Mindfulness for Sleep

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Before we go on, let’s do a short quiz on mindfulness? Do you think you have any wrong notions about mindfulness? Do you see it as a state of stillness where no thought crosses your mind? Or do you see it as a way of freeing your mind of thoughts? Sometimes, our perception of what mindfulness entails does not match what it really is. And this can make us see it as a difficult-to-achieve, unhelpful way to get sleep. 

So, what really is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally trying to focus your attention on the present moment. If the present moment, is you trying to get some sleep, then your focus will be trying to empty your mind of your thoughts. Generally, mindfulness is aimed at helping you become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations in a non-reactive way.

It is based on some core principles such as present-moment focus, non-judgmental awareness, and acceptance. 

When you train your mind to focus on what is happening now, you will be able to focus on what's in front of you instead of fixating on the past or worrying about the future. Non-judgmental awareness allows you to observe your thoughts and feelings objectively without the need to label them as good or bad. This way, you will be able to detach a little from negative thought patterns.

Embracing acceptance will help you to take the current experiences for what they are even if it’s unpleasant. So instead of taking the path of resignation, you accept the moment for what it is without resistance.

How would this help you fall asleep? Most times what keeps us awake are unprocessed thoughts or experiences whose imprints have lingered in our minds from the initial moment. By focusing on your breath or bodily sensations, you shift the focal point of your attention giving the mind the opportunity to regain calm.

And when these worries resurface, you would be able to give them the acknowledgement they deserve without getting entangled. You will let it take its course like a passing cloud while you focus on your chosen exercise be it deep breathing or body scanning.

Doing this would reduce the effect of stress hormones as the body’s relaxation response will be activated. It will gradually move you into a state of calm where you can easily fall asleep.

Several research findings support the role of mindfulness in improving your sleep. Based on these studies, mindfulness helps in lowering your stress hormone levels, improving emotional regulation, and activating the parasympathetic nervous system which promotes relaxation and prepares the body for sleep.

Mindfulness Techniques to Combat Overthinking for a Restful Sleep

Let’s look at four research-backed calming mindfulness techniques and the simple steps to get you in practice. Note that the steps and instructions listed are only guides that you can modify to what suits you. For instance, these techniques are often practiced in a quiet environment but if listening to a calming soundtrack works for you, go for it. Many people may also practice this in their bedrooms but if you find that practicing from your balcony is more relaxing, then feel free to do that. It’s all about working with the basics and tweaking it to get optimum benefits.

Deep Breathing Exercises

During sleep, your breathing rate naturally becomes slower. Deep breathing exercises imitate this natural state of sleep signaling to your body that it’s time to wind down. 

That repeated pattern of breathing in deeply, holding your breath, and then breathing out activates the parasympathetic nervous system which counteracts the fight or flight alertness response by the sympathetic nervous system. 

It also slows down the heart rate and lowers cortisol which could interfere with sleep. The focus on breathing further blocks out the intrusive thoughts that may be keeping you awake. This helps to promote the feeling of calmness through the body.

How to practice deep breathing:

• Sit or lie down in a comfortable position that lets you breathe easily.
• Close your eyes gently and place your hands where comfortable, for instance, one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest.
• Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of like 5 seconds. 
• Allow yourself to feel the air through your belly as your lungs rises.
• Hold it in for like a count of 2 seconds.
• Exhale slowly through pursed lips for a count of like 7 seconds feeling your belly reduce as the air makes it way out.
• Repeat the steps for as long as you wish till you start to feel calmer.
• Ensure to focus your mind on your breath sensations as it enters and leaves your nostrils.
• Gently redirect your attention back to your breathing if your mind wanders.
• You can try doing this during the day to lower your stress levels ahead of sleep time.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Progressive muscle relaxation is a simple camping technique that can help get your body ready for sleep. It involves the targeted tensing and relaxing of the different muscles in your body. This process helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system that helps to counteract the stress response. This is how it promotes calmness through the body. 

The tensing and relaxing of different muscle groups also helps to identify and release areas in your body that might be holding tension making it easy to fall asleep. Progressive muscle relaxation requires a focus on breathing and the different bodily sensations.

 Here is how you can practice a PMR session before bed:

• Find a quiet and comfortable place to either sit or lie down.
• Put on loose clothing that won’t restrict your movement.
• Adjust the room’s light and dim bright lights.
• Close your eyes and take a few slow deep breaths.
• Focus on your breath sensations as it enters and leaves your nostrils.
• Curl your toes tightly for about 15 seconds, feeling the tension building in your feet.
• Slowly release the tension build in your feet.
• Wiggle your toes for like a count of 10 seconds.
• Move to your calves and tense your calf muscles for about seconds.
• Release your muscles and shake your feet for about 10 seconds.
• Move to your thighs, squeeze tightly for seconds and relax them for like 10 seconds.
• Keep moving up and do the same for your butt, stomach, chest, shoulder, neck, and face.
• Once you finish, take a few slow and deep breaths.
• Fixate your mind on the sensation around your body.
• During each step, ensure to pay close attention to each tensing and relaxing step.
• You can also try to practice hours before sleep to help you relax.

Guided Imagery and Visualization

Have you noticed how you tend to feel relaxed when you are in an environment you want? Maybe when you are outdoors or in the woods? Or, even by the beach? With visualization, you get to tap into that state of relaxation without having to be present in the environment. More like you are there in your mind.

By focusing on the guided imagery, you can gently redirect your mind from the intrusive thoughts that are disrupting your sleep. You can visualize peaceful scenes, experiences, or anything you crave to help lower your stress and evoke positive emotions like peace and tranquility which induces sleepiness. 

How can you craft a personalized calming visualization script:

• Choose your preferred setting, real or imagined.
• Describe the environment with details that will appeal to your senses.
• Include anything you like, calming scenes, gentle music and so on.
• Use simple and clear language.

Of course, not everyone will take the DIY approach so if you would like to work with an already written script, you can search for them on Google or YouTube using key phrases like “relaxing scripts for restful sleep” and “calming guided imagery for sleep”. And if you want something tailored that makes use of things you find particularly calming, you can work with a ghostwriter to help you craft a soothing script. 

Some people may find recorded scripts soothing as it lets you close your eyes and just settle into the narrative. If you would be using a script you crafted or one that was crafted specially for you, ensure you get someone with a soothing voice to narrate your script for you. And if you are comfortable reading it yourself, try to use a relaxed and calm voice when narrating your script internally.

Body Scan Meditation

Body scan meditation is a mindfulness technique that involves focusing your attention on the different parts of your body and taking note of the sensations you experience from a place of non-judgmental awareness. 

How to do a body scan meditation:

• Lie down in a comfortable position on your bed. 
• Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
• Focus on your breath as it enters and leaves your body.
• Start your body scan from the top of your head and slowly bring your attention down to your toes.
• As you scan downwards, focus on each part, notice any sensation you may feel like tension, relaxation, warmth, or coolness.
• Acknowledge any tension you feel in any area and imagine it melting away with each breath.
• You can also try to gently tense and relax muscles in that area.
• Continue your body scan slowly, moving from your head down to your toes.
• Whenever your mind wonders, slowly bring it back. 
• At the end of your body scan, bring your attention back to your breath, slowly wiggle your fingers and toes and then gently open your eyes.

Creating a Pre-Sleep Mindfulness Routine

A pre-sleep mindfulness routine refers to the practices you carry out before bed that helps to prepare your mind and body for sleep. Consider this as the dessert of your sleep mindfulness practice. 

How to create a pre-sleep mindfulness routine:

• Develop a consistent sleep schedule and stick to it every day including weekends to help regulate your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
• Reduce stimulating activities before sleep time and replace them with calming activities like reading or taking a warm bath.
• Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, cool, and clutter-free. 
• Consider getting blackout curtains, earplugs, comfortable mattress, and pillows.
• Combining a pre-sleep mindfulness routine with any mindfulness practice of your choice can help you find achieve a calm mind and smooth transition to sleep.

Conclusion

The mind does not function like a light switch and as such, overthinking is not something you can just turn on or off. But once it starts to affect your sleep, you have to take the necessary steps to manage it. The quality of sleep you get is dependent upon several factors including how you handle stress through the day. While the techniques listed above can get you into a sleep state, incorporating them into your day is also effective.