Night Swimming: 4 Tips to Quiet the Mind Before Bed

If you’ve ever lain in bed thinking through tomorrow’s to-dos or reviewing yesterday to the point where you can’t fall asleep, you know how easily one thought leads to another, especially when our heads hit the pillow.

Before long, our brains have multiplied these thoughts like bunnies, spawning adjacent trains of thought while simultaneously inviting us to ruminate on the original one. I think of this pattern of thinking as night swimming. Far less cool than the R.E.M. song, it’s something I’ve struggled with in recent years.

We know that in order to calm the mind pool in which our nightly ruminations splash about, good sleep hygiene is a necessity. In addition to committing to the generally suggested habits of keeping a consistent bedtime, minimizing screentime, and consuming minimal sugar before sleep, I suggest getting acquainted with that which swims around in your own mind pool. Like lifeguards assessing beachgoers, identifying our potential sleep problems in advance helps to mitigate risk and may even prevent drowning. These tips will help you still the rough waters.

Redirect Mental Rip Currents

Much like the powerful ocean currents that pull swimmers away from shore, mental rip currents can carry your thoughts away from a restful place. Learning how to spot them reduces your risk of falling into them, so consider compiling a mental inventory of your current conditions before you get into bed. This may look like reviewing stressors from your day or acknowledging future events that are causing worry.

From there, consider a cathartic activity like expressive writing. Allow your thoughts to pour onto the page, preferably by pen and paper to avoid screentime. Research shows that this kind of “mind dump” helps us to process our emotions, which reduces feelings of stress and anxiety.

Of course, recognizing potential rip currents isn’t always enough. Even the most vigilant can be swept away, so learning how to escape a rip current when you’re in one is vital. Stay calm and don’t panic. Try to relax and remember that getting upset about your sleep situation is like swimming against a current: Not only will you not make any progress, but you will also exhaust yourself! Changing direction is your fastest way back to shore.

Watch for Whirlpools

As sleep eludes us and we grow ever more aware of our increasing sleep deficit, we inevitably begin thinking about the impact of lost sleep on our day ahead. As our bodies begin to process those thoughts, we can become anxious. If you’ve experienced this line of thinking, you know that escaping can be challenging.

If you’re prone to succumbing to such a mental maelstrom, consider preventative care as your first line of defense. Preventative care for sleep might include a commitment to an earlier bedtime or a nightly tech detox to help shift your brain’s neurotransmitters into neutral. Focusing on quality of sleep over quantity may also help.

While it’s widely accepted that seven hours is the recommended average night’s sleep for adults, you likely know your own sweet spot—mine is eight and a half—and you’ve also probably come to understand the consequences of falling short. Ironically, it may be this very understanding that can activate or perpetuate sleep anxiety. That’s because recognizing that we should be sleeping adds to our stress. This creates added pressure to fall asleep as soon as possible, which in turn prevents us from relaxing enough to do so.

To stop the spin cycle, let go of how much sleep you “should” be getting and try relaxing into deep rest. Focus on deep, slow breathing and tune into the power of restorative rest. Or call in some backup: Magnesium supplements or a warm bath are well-known sleep supports.

Understand the Conditions

It’s been nearly 2,500 years since the Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates first stressed the importance of sleep. “When sleep is deficient,” he wrote, “there is sickness and disease.” While he is known as the “Father of Medicine,” it’s unclear whether he came to this knowledge through observing his patients or through lived experience. Either way, he was right, and today we have scientific proof of his assertions. A recent report by the National Institute of Health revealed that 50-70 million Americans struggle with sleep disorders, which can contribute to conditions such as heart disease, obesity, and cancer.

Given that Hippocrates’ observation on sleep was made over two millennia ago, it’s hard to lay blame solely on the modern American lifestyle. However, I suspect our culture may be a leading contributor. Be it family or career-related stressors, economic influences, climate change, social media fatigue, round-the-clock news delivered by ever-accessible technology, increasingly tense political discourse, or something else, it’s no wonder so many of us struggle with sleep. Know that you are not the only one kept awake at night, and that many before you have experienced sleep stress and have learned to tame the rough waters.

Care for Your Capacity

A final consideration when crafting your sleep solution is to beware of overcrowding. Too many swimmers, both in life and in the mind, creates overcrowding, which increases risk. Monitor your capacity for new information just as a lifeguard does a swimming pool, and consider keeping an eye on your consumption too. This doesn’t only mean refraining from sweets or caffeine before bed but also avoiding anything in your environment that may be disruptive to your ideal sleep conditions. When you filter your environment of stressors like excess news or social media, you will find that those thoughts that want to swim in your mind will, more often than not, stay onshore. On the rare occasion they do dive in, name what’s happening, and tell yourself you won’t chase them.

While sleep anxiety is not a diagnosis listed in the DSM-5, its symptoms can significantly impact our overall wellness and quality of life. If you're experiencing sleep anxiety, don’t be afraid to blow your lifeguard whistle and ask for help. Reach out to a trusted member of your care team or consult with a mental health professional to explore options for support.

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