Rushing mind at nights

[yasasr11732]

Hi,

My mind gets quite hyped generally, but especially in nights. It is not necessarily anxiety (but sometimes it might be), but also random ideas rushing, swirling and evolving.

I like thinking and fantasizing but it can be quite annoying to not be able to sleep until late at night. Especially if you need to go to work early in the morning.

Do you guys experience similiar situation, if so, do you have any tips quiting the mind and getting to bed at appropriate times?

 

[reloaded]

Same. I have no tips. I take meds which help me, but last night I had so many ideas the meds didn't work. I kept thinking although I was very sleepy. Quite hard to stop thinking. Had to constantly convince myself that I could act on my ideas the next day.

I find meds very helpful TBH. Without meds, it's likely that I'll end up taking hours to sleep every night. Right now, I only need about an hour or two.

Maybe you could consult a psychiatrist. Sorry, this probably wasn't very helpful.

 

[WhatWasThat]

Yeah the only "solution" I've ever found to this is drugs, which I don't really want to recommend but it's the only thing that has ever helped me. I have always been a night person too. If I had my choice I would end up going to sleep at probably 4AM every night, but that doesn't really work out when you have to be awake at 6-8AM for most jobs.

I wonder if there is an element of nighttime usually being peaceful and free from social obligations/other people as well. Like my brain realizes "hey it's time to contemplate random stuff for hours on end without distraction".

 

[Tannhauser]

pretty much the story of my life.

I haven't really found a way to deal with it consistently, although sometimes it helps if I listen to relaxing music or like a podcast where people just chat about intellectually non-stimulating stuff.

 

[Redfire]

I think most of us experience that here, and I don't think there is a solution. Zen meditation is supposed to help with that; but only if you really want to slow down your thinking. And deep down you don't want that, you want to keep thinking. You need it. You feed on it.

Welcome to INTPf.

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

I used to be like this but I'm not any more, I'm not sure what changed*.

Possible way to fix it is to spend more time being active e.g. exercising and less time on the internet? The exercise will make you more tired when it's time to sleep since you've used up your energy for the day, and less time internetting will mean that you've been taking in less information that will be processed at night.

* though drug use and meditation are probably major factors in it, for sure

 

[Tannhauser]

Possible way to fix it is to spend more time being active e.g. exercising and less time on the internet? The exercise will make you more tired when it's time to sleep since you've used up your energy for the day, and less time internetting will mean that you've been taking in less information that will be processed at night.

i think the exercise thing only works if you have not exercised in several years and then go for a hard workout. then sure, you'll get tired as hell because you're not used to the workload. it probably doesn't work in general (i go to the gym 7 days a week - with zero effect one the sleep situation).

 

[Seteleechete]

Why would you want to deal with it? I embrace it and even build on it to make it "worse". It's the sweetest thing I know of. Either I spend my night sleeping or I end up spending lots of time with my mind randomly swirling... actually my biggest problem is that I end up so lost in my own mind that I end up falling asleep instead.

Essentially embracing it so much that you stop thinking about the world around you making you lose focus and fall asleep, it's beyond annoying. Suffice it to say it has been a long time since I have had problems falling asleep.

 

[Minuend]

One of the things that make me fall asleep fastest is visualizing myself in a forest at night where nothing really happens. The atmosphere visualized is fairly calm and quiet. I can keep thinking about things and take forever to fall asleep if I allow myself to. In my case late night thinking triggers a reward feeling which is both enjoyable and makes me feel semi-hyperactive which prevents me from falling asleep. Visualizing prevents me from entering that state of mind. It also helps when I'm stressed and have difficulty sleeping because of it

 

[Intolerable]

It's been a belief of mine for a long time that thoughts are more expensive than actions over the long haul. It's probably also why we can't sleep at night if something is on our mind.

As we dwell on a subject we revisit it time and time again forcing our minds to continue into redundant labor. This state of drawing more energy than is optimal for a rest state means we're signaling to our body that we're not ready to sleep. We fuss with positions, the pillow, blankets, etc. Clearly the body is aggravated and wants sleep but the mind is depriving it of that state by consuming more energy than it should.

This is why I try to do things as soon as they become important in my mind. It's worth wasting the half hour of trying to close out a thought via action if possible. Anything I can't close out in an hour I just tell myself to put on hold intellectually. I just don't think about it as I reason it's a waste of time and energy.

It usually works for me. I hit the mattress and 5 minutes later I'm asleep. The times it doesn't work is when I have too much sugar or caffeine in my system.

 

[Hadoblado]

When I've had this problem in the past I've found it helpful to study. Then you either fall asleep or you're being productive. Usually I fall asleep shortly after.

 

[Pyropyro]

A good jog usually helps me focus and burn the hype away. You can also jot the ideas down in a piece of paper. Writing is soothing and stabilizing at the same time.

 

[EditorOne]

I read. It's a good use of time. Usually takes 10 minutes to an hour and I fade away.

Very occasionally I've had success emptying my mind by forcing myself to see nothing but the color grey. No matter where my mind starts to go I diligently reel it back in and visualize greyness. Kind of exhausting.

 

[Sinny91]

Weed and a book, or a podcast or something.

 

[Ex-User (13503)]

I embrace it unless it's causing issues with sleep & scheduling. A dose of melatonin and meditation + vitamin C to clear out monoamines usually works. Add L-theanine if I suspect adrenaline to be at work.

 

[Pressure's Spring]

Lack of self-discipline.

Unresolved thought patterns or experiences or drives which accumulate; caused by denial/rejection rather than direct confrontation and resolution.

Denial (which includes everything that is listed above, except, maybe Intolerable's comment) is already a drug in itself (not always effective, it actually aggravates the problem in the long haul, hence why, people resort to medication/drug use, a more effective method of denial).

Clear up your nervous system.

Slow down, dissect, re-arrange (simplify, expel, and integrate), and maintain management.

 

[Not Anyone To Care For]

I think everyone's mind rushes before they go to sleep. The thing that differentiates us from most other people is that our questions tend to be big, and without the answers we become unsettled and our minds constantly flutter with ideas until we get the closure we seek. It's part of what makes us special and it should be embraced instead of being dulled by medication.