Some time ago, I used to think that when I went to bed, after a few minutes, I would fall asleep. But after some time, I felt that, you could say, after crossing 50, my nights slowly changed. When I go to bed, I put my head on the pillow; at that time, my body comes to rest, but my mind starts replaying the memories, what I made mistakes in past. For this reason, my body becomes tired, but my sleep is disturbed. Sound sleep is very necessary for the next day’s routine; knowing how to stop overthinking at night is an important art for your health.
Due to this, my next day becomes valueless; this puts a hurdle in achieving your target. I would think about health, money, the future, and decisions I had made, things I should have done differently. The more I tried to sleep, the more I seemed to think. I eventually felt that this type of thinking is not my problem, but the problem lies in me continuing to think about the past. That’s when I started looking for simple ways to stop overthinking at night.
If you are over 50 and your mind becomes unusually busy when you put your head on a pillow, these are the things that help me.
Table of Contents
Why does overthinking seem worse at night after 50?
I feel that at night my brain becomes relaxed; that’s why thoughts find more space to develop. During the daytime, there are lots of things to do, so our mind becomes busy doing those things. For this reason, our mind can’t manage time to think about the rest of the things.
At night, during sleep, when negative thoughts find a space to come in, without wasting the time they occupy, put aside all thoughts except negative thoughts. After 50, it’s natural to think about health, money, the future, but it’s not a major problem; it’s a reaction to the habit of “What if” thoughts repeatedly. The biggest lesson for me is “Don’t think to solve every problem at night”. That realisation changes the way I approach my nights.
1. I stopped trying to solve every problem in bed
This changing a very important for stopping the habit of solving every problem in bed. Earlier, I wanted to solve all problems at that time. This really disturbed my peace, and generally I sometimes take a right turn, sometimes take a left; this used to happen the whole night, but I didn’t find any solution. Now I am not bothered by this type of thinking and put aside these attempts; now I give priority to my sound sleep. Now, I don’t ask myself, “What should I do about it?” I ask myself, “What will I do to solve it? I will start tomorrow morning for it”. Eventually, this simple statement changed all things help me stop overthinking at night.
2. I started writing my worries down
Sometimes, I made a strategy to counter my problems in my mind, but after some time, I used to forget it. Just to counter this problem, I started a habit of writing things down. I do not write down only the solution; I write down my worries also. Because without knowing the problems, it would be quite difficult to find a solution for them. So, I started keeping a notebook and a pen near me. Before sleeping, I write down whatever is bothering me.
I write down what I should do about it tomorrow. If I find an answer for it, then I write down the next step to take. This relaxed my mind and helped me not carry my worries to bed. It simply helped me to stop overthinking at night.
3. I learned not to fight every thought
Earlier, whenever a negative thought came to mind, I pushed it away. This type of thinking pushed me to think more about it; this made me more disturbed. Now I allow this type of thinking to come in, but teach my brain that this is necessary for my development; I will not give it time; I will think about this the next day. This type of bifurcation made my mind lie on the bed, relaxed. I’ve learned that I can’t win every argument with thought, which enter my mind. Sometimes I can simply let the thoughts come and go.
4. I stopped taking my mobile to bed
I used to think that if I checked my phone, will make my mind relaxed. Instead of it I became more disturbed. Even when I go to sleep, my mind still replays that message. So, I started creating some distance between my phone and my bed. When I keep my phone away before going to bed, I feel that my mind becomes quiet. My goal isn’t a total digital detox, but I tried to relax my mind. It’s simply to stop feeding my brain more information. But my aim is to stop overthinking at night.
5. I started ending every day with some positive thinking
I noticed that generally, I end my day by thinking about what I did wrong today. Instead of it I tried something different: before sleep, I started thinking about what I did good thing today. It could be:
- A good conversation
- A peaceful walk
- A small good time with family
- A good diet
- Spending peaceful time with myself
This doesn’t mean that I am ignoring life’s problems. It simply reminds me not to be nervous; someone is with you. We can easily become so focused on what we have lost earlier.
6. I stopped replaying my past at night
This one was the most difficult to handle. Whatever mistakes I made in the past, it would have been better if I had done things differently. Reality is this: we can only think about the past; we can’t rewrite or correct it. You can only do that we can take lessons from our mistakes. I still have moments when memories come back. But I don’t allow myself to replay these moments. I accept that my past is part of my story, but it doesn’t have to control my night.
7. I learned to separate worry from reality
One thing is that any thought that comes in the nighttime plays a big role for the rest of the time. Sometimes thoughts come that have not happened anymore, but it is enough to disturb my peace of mind. Then I decided that I will deal with problems at the time of happening it. I permit my mind to deal with problems that are present at the present time, not worry about problems which are imaginary. This thinking helps me to stop overthinking at night.
8. I created a simple wind-down routine
I always try to switch my mind from busy moments into quit moments. And it is a fact that this art doesn’t always happen. Now I try to slow things down before going to bed. For this, I avoid unnecessary stimulation; sometimes I sit to read, sometimes I sit for meditation, sometimes I simply take a few slow breaths and let the day come to an end. I have to give my mind some time to become quiet.
9. I gave myself permission not to have everything figured out
This is one of the most difficult lessons, I have learned after getting older. Earlier, I used to get answers in advance about the future, money, health, and family. But reality is that life doesn’t give every answer in advance. It’s simple: convince yourself that “You don’t do anything right now, but when problems come, I will handle them”.
What do I do when my mind still starts racing at night?
After knowing these things, I can’t claim that I have no overthinking. There are still night which try to disturb me. But the difference is this now: before giving permission to disturb me, first I ask myself”, I don’t have to solve every problem tonight, then I don’t have to believe every thought I have; after that convince myself that tomorrow is another opportunity to deal with what matters. I simply start again.
When overthinking at night may need more attention?
Occasional overthinking is normal, but overthinking becomes a regular habit and starts stealing your peace of mind and disturbing your sleep; then it becomes a matter of concern. Currently, seek help from a healthcare or mental-health professional. This doesn’t show your weakness but shows a positive approach towards your health.
Final thoughts
After crossing 50, I don’t try to stop every thought because I realised that without problems there is no life. Now the difference is about how wisely I tackle the overthinking. Now I don’t have to carry every problem into bed. I still worry. But I’ve become better at telling myself, “Not tonight”. That’s what helped me stop overthinking at night. I don’t try to be harass about overthinking. I simply give myself permission to stop searching for answers when the day is over. Tonight, I just need rest.