Thread: Need help: Droning Thoughts Keeping Me Awake

If I lie in bed and have active "concious" thoughts I probably will never fall to sleep. However, if I just let my brain wander on its own, making up its own thoughts (sights & sounds) without me focusing on them I will fall to sleep really fast. Hope that helps.

These thoughts I have do not seem to be the calm unconscious thoughts that happen when you let your mind wander.

It's like it's forcing me to stay conscious and keep thinking about completely random and hard to remember things.
I'll try to explain.. The first time I remember this happening and keeping me up all night, I was constantly thinking about red pickup trucks. I could hardly remember anything I thought about, and I couldn't think about anything else, or calm down and let myself think as you said. Every time it would die down just enough for me to almost sleep, they would pick back up again as my nose started running again.

It's really hard to explain, im sorry, but it does not seem to be conscious thought or calm wandering. Just droning on and on without really being there.

Im going to take allergy medication tonight in case these thoughts are directly related to my allergies as I am led to think.

I understand what you mean. What I would say, is if you are trying to sleep and you aren't that tired yet is to get up and do something to keep your mind occupied until you feel more tired. Also you can try to just lay on your back in bed and focus on breathing. Let all the thoughts pass through but don't focus or try to pursue them. Alot of it is sort of subconscious babble about your day and what not. Just focus on breathing and relaxing tension in your body with every deep breath. then when you feel relaxed enough roll over and try to fall asleep.

Originally Posted by saltyseedog

I understand what you mean. What I would say, is if you are trying to sleep and you aren't that tired yet is to get up and do something to keep your mind occupied until you feel more tired. Also you can try to just lay on your back in bed and focus on breathing. Let all the thoughts pass through but don't focus or try to pursue them. Alot of it is sort of subconscious babble about your day and what not. Just focus on breathing and relaxing tension in your body with every deep breath. then when you feel relaxed enough roll over and try to fall asleep.

I agree with this more or less - try to bring your focus away from the discourse. I sometimes suffer from this if my day has been filled with a lot of input, and find that 'focusing' on the present moment helps to quieten my mind, allowing me to sleep. I wouldn't say to focus your attention though.....it's more just bringing your awareness to the present, so that it can't involuntarily focus on the subconscious babble.

I know what you mean. When I'm stressed out my brain focus's on a single stupid thought and I can't sleep. It isn't necessarily what I'm stressed about most of the time. Normally I come up with stories in my head and daydream which eventually allows me to fall a sleep, but when I'm stuck on a single thought I can't do this. I hate it -_- But yeah like I said I find the best way to stop this is to daydream about something or read before bed.

It must be related to allergies for me. Took some medicine before bed and no problem last night.

Oh good, glad to hear you got to sleep ok. Perhaps it was just a short lived thing.