How to stop overthinking at night
Head on the pillow and your mind starts replaying the day? To stop overthinking at night, give your worries somewhere to go before bed, then stop trying to force your thoughts away once you are lying down. A short worry slot in the early evening, a quick to-do list and a softer way of noticing thoughts all help.
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Why your mind races in bed
During the day, work, people and noise keep your attention busy. When the lights go out, there is nothing left to distract you, so every unfinished job and worry rushes in at once.
Stress, anxiety and low mood can all fill the mind with thoughts that keep you awake. Worry, overwhelm and racing thoughts are listed by the NHS among the common signs of stress.
Some people are simply more sensitive to stress at night. Researchers call this sleep reactivity, and it seems to run in families. Racing thoughts and broken sleep can feed each other, because lying awake gives the mind more time to churn.
Why fighting your thoughts makes it worse
When you can’t switch your brain off, the natural reaction is to tell yourself to stop thinking. Sadly, trying to shut thoughts down or force sleep tends to backfire. The harder you push against a worry, the more it pulls you in.
A gentler approach works better. You let the thought be there, notice it, and do not get into an argument with it. The thought may stay for a while, but it loses its grip on you.
Things to try tonight
These are simple, safe steps you can use when thoughts keep you awake. Pick one or two rather than trying everything at once.
- Write a quick to-do list for tomorrow before you get into bed
- Jot down any worry that pops up, then tell yourself it will keep until morning
- Picture each thought sitting on a leaf and drifting away down a stream
- Answer a worst-case thought gently, for example: that is a 3am thought, it can wait
- Listen to a podcast, soft music or nature sounds to give your mind something easy to follow
- If you have been awake for what feels like about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm in low light
Worry time earlier in the evening
One of the most useful habits is a short, planned worry time. Choose a slot a few hours before bed and give yourself around ten to fifteen minutes. Sit down with a notebook and write out what is on your mind.
For each worry, note the gist of it and what you are really afraid of. Then ask whether it is something you can do anything about. If it is, write the next small step. If it is not, write that down too.
Doing this regularly teaches your mind that worries have a proper place. When a thought shows up in bed, you can remind yourself it already has a slot tomorrow evening.
Why a to-do list helps
Many night-time thoughts are really reminders about tasks. A small study at Baylor University asked people to write for five minutes before bed. Those who wrote a to-do list tended to fall asleep faster than those who wrote about jobs already done.
That study involved healthy young adults in a sleep lab, so it may not apply to everyone. Even so, it is free and easy to try. Getting tasks out of your head and onto paper lets your mind stop rehearsing them.
Habits for the next few weeks, and when to get help
Go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day, and give yourself an hour to wind down first. Put your phone away before bed and keep caffeine and alcohol well away from the evening. Mind also suggests reminding yourself that one bad night is not a disaster.
Speak to your GP if overthinking at night goes on for weeks. Go sooner if it comes with constant daytime worry, low mood or a sense of hopelessness. In England you can also refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies. If you are struggling to cope, call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time.
If your mind will not switch off
If your thoughts speed up the moment the light goes off, running through tomorrow, last week and everything in between, that is not a flaw in you. A busy mind at night is one of the most common reasons people lie awake.
What helps is slowing things down, body first and then thoughts. With hypnosis you practise letting a thought arrive and drift past, so it no longer feels like something you have to solve at midnight, and rehearse lying in bed feeling calm and unhurried. Many people find that makes the same calm easier to reach at night. It works best alongside good habits like worry time and a regular wake time, not instead of them.
I am Adam Cox, a clinical hypnotherapist with 17 years in practice and post-graduate qualifications in clinical hypnotherapy. Sleep sessions are among the most listened to on my podcast, The Hypnotist, which has been downloaded more than 20 million times.
Sleep hypnosis downloads for this
Recorded sessions from my store. Download once, keep them, and play them in bed with your phone on night mode.
Questions people ask
Why do I overthink at night?
At night there are no distractions, so unfinished tasks and worries finally get your full attention. Stress and anxiety make this stronger, and some people are naturally more sensitive to stress at bedtime.
How do I stop my mind racing in bed?
Do not fight the thoughts. Notice them and let them pass. If you are still wide awake after what feels like about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm until you feel sleepy.
Does writing things down before bed really help?
Many people find it does. A small study linked writing a to-do list before bed with falling asleep faster. A planned worry time earlier in the evening also gives thoughts a proper outlet.
When should I see a GP about racing thoughts at night?
See your GP if it has gone on for weeks or is affecting your daily life. Go sooner if you also feel low, anxious most of the time or hopeless. Help is available, so you do not need to put up with it.
Could hypnosis help your sleep?
Take my free sleep hypnosis suitability test. Tell me what keeps you awake, try two quick hypnosis experiments and get an honest answer, with your next step.
Want help quietening your mind at night?
If recordings are not enough on their own, we can work on what is keeping you awake together. Start with a £49 consultation call over Zoom. We talk through your nights and whether hypnotherapy is right for you, and the fee comes off your first session. If poor sleep has lasted 3 months or more, please see your GP too.
Further reading: Psyche: What to do when racing thoughts keep you up at night · Baylor University: Can writing your to-dos help you to doze? · Mind: Tips to improve your sleep · Kalmbach et al: Hyperarousal and sleep reactivity in insomnia