Why do bad thoughts prevent us from falling asleep and how to deal with it

Surely you are familiar with the situation when you really want to sleep, but as soon as your head touches the pillow, different thoughts come into it. You analyze the past day, make plans for the future, remember unpleasant and even shameful incidents from life and harass yourself in many different ways. Why is all this starting to get into your head and how to stop this flow?

Psychologists say that the strange and unpleasant behavior of our brain before going to bed is quite normal. Moreover, they say that our mind does not mock us, but, on the contrary, seeks to protect us from the dangers of the surrounding world. The origins of this phenomenon should be sought in ancient times, when man had just separated from the animal world.

Imagine an ancient man who thinks only about pleasant and beautiful things. Most likely, he would not have left offspring and disappeared as a species destroyed by predatory animals. Our ancestors had to spend most of their lives thinking about how to survive in a dangerous, inhospitable world, how to escape from animals, natural disasters, cold, hunger and, finally, their hostile brethren.

This mechanism has not gone away and, having barely got rid of the real day's troubles, our brain arranges a "debriefing" for us so that we can analyze our mistakes and draw appropriate conclusions. This prevents us from falling asleep, but helps to avoid many troubles in the future.

Analyzing your "bad thoughts", you can learn a lot of interesting things. If you are not allowed to sleep at work, it means that professional activity is a priority for you. Well, if you are worried about awkward moments in the circle of friends and acquaintances, it means that you subconsciously fear that people may perceive you incorrectly or not seriously.

It is well known that the more busy you are during the day, the more you suffer from thoughts piled up before going to bed. There may not be time for reflection during the day, but they will certainly be helpfully offered to you by the brain already in bed. Therefore, psychologists recommend looking for time for a little rest during the day, so that the flow of information at night is not so dense.

Experts say that it is not the thoughts themselves that are unpleasant, but our reaction to them. Before someone, these negative images flash and disappear, and someone will loop and scroll them continuously, bringing himself to neurosis, depression and nervous breakdown. The second case can be considered a condition that should be dealt with as a pathology.

In order not to get into this group, you need to constantly use one simple rule. Did you remember something bad? Immediately switch over and think about the good, pleasant, for example, about some important success or a job well done. Try to avoid analyzing long-irrelevant cases that no one remembers for a long time and that it's time for you to forget about.

But the main method of dealing with negative thoughts is a good sleep. In one of the universities in the USA, an experiment was conducted in which 100 volunteers participated. The researchers determined the relationship between sleep quality and unpleasant memories. It turns out that the less a person sleeps, the more he is exposed to this scourge.

Unfortunately, scientists have not been able to determine whether negative thoughts cause sleep disorders or, conversely, bad sleep attracts bad memories. It remains to be found out, but the relationship between the two factors is undeniable. The less you rest— the more acutely you react to the negative.

If the alarm clock wakes you up, but you wake up not getting enough sleep and broken, then you need to add another 15 minutes and do so until you start waking up exactly according to the alarm clock, fresh and rested. And in order not to let the negative come to you before going to bed, focus on tactile sensations. Feel how soft your sheet is and how comfortable the pillow is. Or just concentrate on your breathing.

There is another, very unusual, but working way. Plan yourself a "break for reflection" in the afternoon. 10-15 minutes will be enough — just write down everything that bothers you on paper. So you will give your brain a discharge during the day and in the evening it will not bother you so much, or leave you alone at all. There are other ways to get rid of insomnia and finally start sleeping soundly.