Tips to turn your brain off when you're awake in the night?

[largeprintagathachristie]

After I've made a middle of the night visit to the loo (sigh, every bloody night) my mind/brain does the following, resulting in hours of wakefulness:

• plays some kind of song incessantly on a loop, ranging from an advertising jingle I've heard that day through to a song I love but haven't heard for 20 years. The more I try to stop it, the more incessant the "earworm", as the Germans call it, is.

• worries about current situations with work/pandemic/you name it

• races over things that aren't anxiety inducing but most definitely do not need to be thought about at three o clock in the morning.

I've tried sort of body scan relaxation, "start at your feet and relax each part of your body" but I only ever get to the feet before racing off on other wakeful loopholes as above. Same with breathing; I manage about two controlled breaths before my mind darts off to something else. It ends up where I'm basically internally shouting at myself to RELAX AND STOP THINKING, which is clearly counter productive.

If anyone has any tips that work for them, I'd be really pleased to hear them.

When I was single I would turn on the light and read (and I do have a little book lamp thing so that's not impossible now) but I love reading and tend in that situation to read for hours and hours and there's work in the morning regarding. So I'm really looking for ideas to go help me to go back to sleep rather than advice to get up and do something else.

Think about really low level maths in your head. 7-3 kinda simple. Do loads (at least a few mins) and it sort of resets your brain.

[quote flatcoatfan]@Sparklingbrook I do a similar thing. I let my mind go back to places from my past. For example, I walk through my primary school, I don't force any memories instead I let them drift into my mind. It's amazing the memories locked away! [/quote]
Yes, that's a great one. I would then try and remember all the names of the pupils and teachers.

I’ve found the headspace sleepcasts very very good for this. If I watch I. The night I find it very hard to get back over as my mind races and frets over things. These ‘stories’ are soothing nonsense and really help me drift back to sleep. A bit annoying to have to put headphones on but worth it. They last about 45 mins

Another vote for listening, I use the sleep stories on audible. You can't listen and think at the same time.

If you can get yourself in the mood, masturbating to orgasm can work…

Drink of water plus Clarins relax oil on neck and chest.

Something which works for me is to think of something I’ve recently watched on tv or a movie and sort of re-run the plot in my head and take each character in turn and think about what the did / happened to them in the show. Somehow it bores me back to sleep ! Also podcasts obvs - dull ones!

I'm the same too. Agree with pp about alphabetical lists of anything. I even try to picture primary school classroom and remember everyone's names.
For the anxiety over things at 3am, I imagine drafting an email of what I'd like to say, then imagine touch typing the words. That helps a bit, but usually I'm still awake for ages....

Watching with interest, I have this too, especially the ‘earworm’, it’s infuriating. I used to sleep so well and the last few months have been so bad, not sure if it’s lockdown/perimenopause or combination of both but it’s crap.

4-7-8 breathing - fully exhale then in for 4 hold for 7 out for 8, repeat 478 several times (full exhale is only at the beginning) then go back to normal breathing

Counting down from 500 in threes

@Scarby9 I love your idea!
I know you've said you try to relax and breathe etc and it didn't work for you but if you keep trying it should. It works for me extremely well but I had to persevere at the start.
Focus on your breathing, try deeper controlled breaths and if a thought comes to mind let it, don't worry that your mind has begun to wander but don't follow up on that thought- just bring yourself back to how you breathe. I try to imagine I'm breathing the thought out, I also visualise a boring object (mine is a wine cork or one penny coin) as I breathe. Sounds a bit weird but I drift off in no time but I did have to practice this a bit.

I usually try and start imagining my dream
Home, the floor plan the furniture and decor. They are happy and positive thoughts and I rarely get to the top floor!

Breath in for the count of 6, hold for the count of 3 and breath out for the count of 7.
Take big belly breaths in and fully empty your lungs on out breath, keep repeating it a d keep focussed on your breathing, don’t let your mind wander.
I know lots of people who use that method and it works for them.
It makes your brain switch off as your concentrating on your breathing.

These are magic. I put one on my tongue if I wake up in the night, and they actually really work!
For the first time in ages I actually get back to sleep. And no drugs involved.

I use the sleepcasts on the headspace app. It’s like a nice gentle story, I just concentrate on the words and try and visualise the scene and I’m usually off within 5 mins. It was like a revelation when I started using it as I’d be up for hours before unable to turn my brain off!

My granny used to imagine herself driving a particukar familiar route (it wss quite long) says she was normally asleep by the M1

Read something you're very familiar with.
Read something factual.
Read something which is just short chunks- short stories.
I've also browsed black trousers in the sales before with some success. (I don't need any, and they're boring so that helped!)
A change of scene can help so I may take myself to the sofa - but that's more of a hot night thing.

My other half uses our kids Ewan the dream sheep. Our four year old uses the harp song and presses the sheep if he wakes up in the night and the baby likes the white noise.

To get to sleep I usually imagine a really dull date/ job interview/ meeting with someone talking about themselves sorry DH. Sometimes the other way around chatty to someone. I imagine I'm really rich and make up all sorts of cover story about my 'work' and this is a story it works and is like a comforting mini film

These ideas are excellent, thank you. loads of things to try.
Sorry, but I'll be thinking of you all in the middle of the night, now!
(Which is actually really comforting...)

I'll be thinking of you all in the middle of the night, now!

Hopefully not while masturbating.

I wasn't kidding BTW; an orgasm really clears the mind and relaxes the body, if you're up to it.

@HeadphoneProliferation
Thinking of you all BUT NOT IN THAT WAY I PROMISE!

I do a couple of things. If I can read (say DH is on nights, or I have gone to the spare room to get away from snoring) then I start my favourite book again (I must have read it 100 times).

If I am in bed with DH and don't wage to disturb him, I think of my favourite book and cast all the characters with all the current celebrities. Some castings are really tricky and I can peacefully mull and debate with myself for some time until I drift off.

I also count backward from 300, and if I make a mistake, start again.

Pretty repetitive but soothing.

Think pink!!
Lay on your back with eyes closed .
Concentrate on your breathing.
Now imagine a polar bear on a small piece of ice floating on a pink sea towards you.
Just keep looking at it. Surrounded by pale pink water, floating nearer and nearer .....

I fall asleep going through the alphabet slowly listing as many words as I can beginning with a letter. It keeps other thoughts out of my head.

Radio 4/audiobook. I have special flat headband earphones for bed.