Issues going to sleep

[Junebughustle]

One of my resolutions was to go to bed without my phone as I tend to stay up until about 1am scrolling through, despite needing to be up at 5.30am for work. To note - I've long had a habit of keeping myself up, since early teenage years at least, even before I had a phone - I'd read using a torch under the covers!

But last night I realised the phone/distractions isn't the issue - when I have that time with no distractions and I'm not sleepy my mind races through the most random and sometimes most morbid stuff. I imagine scenarios in which myself or loved ones might die and then get really upset and just can't sleep. I remembered that surfing through on my phone keeps these useless wonderings at bay.

Is there any hope I can get myself to a place where I can just nod off to sleep at a normal time?

Have you tried listening to podcasts before you go to bed? Even ones designed to get you off to sleep?

Other thing is to write down your worries before you get into bed or if you are good at visualisation, visualise yourself in a situation where you take your worries and get rid of them (like e.g you sitting in a boat full of them and throwing them out till the boat is lighter if you see what I mean!). Depends how your brain works...

I also think it takes a while to adjust your bedtime especially if you are used to falling asleep at 1am so I wouldn't expect it to happen over night.

Maybe try and move it back slower - like half an hour at a time?

Thanks @PaperBagsAreUselessInRain (love the username, as someone who had to carry a paper bag yesterday in a downpour!)

Will try and be incremental. Most podcasts keep me up but I've downloaded Calm which has some special sleepy podcasts so I'll give that a whirl! Will try to do the worry writing exercise you've mentioned too :)