Do you ever find your mind too active to sleep? Maybe you’re turning one problem over and over in your head… or maybe your thoughts are pinging from one topic to another, racing along merrily while the rest of you desperately wants to rest.
I like to call that hopping from one thought to another “popcorn brain”. Pop! A thought goes off over here. Pop! A totally different thought goes off over there! And if you imagine your head like a popcorn popper, it can quickly fill up with thoughts, leaving you very little space in which to calm down and get to sleep.
Popcorn brain is one of my worst barriers to sleep, personally. My brain gets going, and it just won’t stop. For me, distraction is the best cure for popcorn brain — it forces my mind to focus on one thing, rather than trying to think about a hundred things.
Some of my favorite distractions include:
Entertainment. Television or a book or music — something that will engage my mind just enough that it will quiet down and stop popping thoughts all over the place. I like to pick something with a simpler plot (a cartoon or a kids’ book), rather than something complex that will force my brain to work more.
Visualization. I’ve mentioned the rainbow trick before: start with any color of the rainbow and visualize three things in that color as clearly as you can. Check all five senses: what does your thing sound like, look like, smell like, taste like, feel like? Make it as real as you can in your imagination before you move onto the next thing.
A therapist recently gave me a new visualization exercise to try, one that’s near and dear to my heart: the beach. (Having grown up at the beach, it’s perfect for me!) Imagine the feel of the sun, the sound of the waves, the smell of the ocean, the taste of the salt spray. See a seagull dipping and rising over the waves. Maybe the beach isn’t the right place for your mind to go, though. Pick some beloved place from your life and visualize it. The familiarity will be comforting, and the exercise will focus your popping brain.
Venting all your thoughts. If your brain won’t stop popping, try letting all those thought-kernels out. Grab a pen and paper and write all your thoughts down as they come. Maybe if they’re out of your head and onto paper, your racing mind will finally slow down.
Occasional sleep problems can be annoying, but usually aren’t a major health concern. However, if you regularly have trouble sleeping, you may want to talk to a doctor.