Why Do We Tend To Overthink At Night?
If you’ve ever found yourself preparing for bed, then suddenly being overrun by thoughts and worries, you’re in good company. It appears that over thinking happens in excess at night.
Unfortunately, there are no empirical studies that explore this topic in depth. It seems to be a widely accepted occurrence that people, in general, experience: you will at some point in your life stay up late due to over thinking. Despite the lack of empirical data showing this, some theories as to why do exist.
Your brain remains active, even as you sleep. This activity is the reason we can sometimes influence our dreams; the final thoughts before drifting off to sleep enter our dreamscape. Sometimes, those final thoughts before falling to sleep can keep us from relaxing enough to actually fall asleep. This is especially true of thoughts that induce stress, anxiety, or frustration.
Furthermore, the night-time world offers the perfect environment for over thinking. The lack of other stimuli -such as light, noise, TV, and phones – allow for our mind to call forward all of the thoughts that we brush aside during the day. It seems to amplify when people attempt to sleep when they are not actually tired. The lack of desire to sleep, on the brain’s part, can make the thoughts circle relentlessly.
What else could induce high levels of thinking just before bed? The foods we eat? The amount of water we’ve consumed? Can we reduce the amount of extra thinking before bed by engaging in calming activities, such as yoga or meditation? Food for thought.
by Cassey
Edited by: Tatum Wilson
Reference
Stewart, Laurie. (2010). The Paralysis of Analysis: Stop Overthinking Everything. https://www.achievesolutions.net/achievesolutions/en/Content.do?contentId=209
Martin, Lauren. (2013). Why Overthinking is the Root of All Your Problems. http://elitedaily.com/life/overthinking-root-problems/
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