Our introvert brains are so active, aren’t they, processing things, mulling over them, daydreaming…sometimes our thoughts seem to take on a life of their own and keep us awake! Some introverts find it hard to drop off to sleep in the first place because of all the thoughts racing through our brains, or others sleep for a while then wake up in the wee hours and find ourselves actively thinking of one thing after another, until we realize we are fully awake and have been for some time. The latter is usually what happens to me. I’m usually sleepy enough to drop off to sleep, if I’m at home, but then I may wake at 2 or 3 am with a busy brain that is really working on whatever situations I currently have – even some my conscious mind may have tried to ignore. I got a question from someone this week about this tendency that a lot of us have. The reader wondered how I handle it when I can’t sleep due to thinking too much during the night.
What I’ve done, and I’ve done it for about 20 years now, is to daydream about something pleasant but totally not to do with real life. In other words, if I wake up at 2 am, first if my mind has uncovered something that needs to be addressed later, I will tell myself I will look into that tomorrow. It is “duly noted” by my conscious mind now, but I can’t fix it in the middle of the night so I am going back to sleep. I’ll get into a really comfortable position and deliberately start a daydream about a situation that can not happen. If I were to start daydreaming about a pleasant time with a family member or real friend, next thing you know my mind would start thinking again – “Oh I need to make him a dentist appointment,” or “Why did she say that to me last week?” So instead, I’ll pick an actor or an author or some other person that I could imagine I would enjoy a cup of coffee with, and in my daydream we will have a cup of coffee. I ask them a question, I listen to their answer. This is usually a quick success for me – I never make it past the first little bit of this before I’m asleep again. Other times I might be reading a really good book that week that I hate to put down, so I will think about it a little bit if I wake up in the night. My main point here is to dive deeply into fiction, whether you create it or you think about a book or movie you like. Do not think about world events, your checkbook, or even the sweetest real moment in your life, because your introvert brain will jump right on that and before you know it your body will start really waking up. 
One thing I must admit is that lately when someone has requested something of me that makes me feel as if they’re taking advantage of me, I wake up and apparently my adrenaline really gets going, because no amount of daydreaming will get me back to sleep. Now if I know I am in that situation, I will take a half dose of Benadryl (diphenhydramine) before bedtime. It helps me to sleep right through the night. Otherwise, try to derail those active thoughts by doing something we do so well: daydreaming! That’s my favorite way to get back to sleep. Do you have another one to share?
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My sleeping disorder(s) is/are far from fun.
I have issues falling asleep, but when I do fall asleep I sleep like a bear.
What has helped me is melatonin. At the moment I can’t get my hands on vegan melatonin, so I’m having real issues with sleep at the moment.
I’ve tried valerian root, but it’s not working anymore. Took 4g for a few nights ago, had no effect on me.
So, in other words, I can only advice on melatonin. Other than that, I’m looking for suggestions myself. I will do try your suggestion tho, but I’m afraid my mind will wander too much.
Reading a book helps also.
Sorry for rambling, just got back from work and I’m dead tired.
Hi Xen. I appreciate your comment! I’m sorry to hear that you’re having such a problem getting to sleep. Has this problem just started recently?
Yes – I also have good results with reading a book. I did that pretty often a few years ago when I woke up in the wee hours once in a while. I’d turn my lamp on and read until I was drowsy, then I’d be asleep as soon as I could get the book back on the table and turn off the lamp. I always hate turning on the lamp when I’m already comfortable in the dark in my bed, so I try to drop off again just by diverting my thoughts, but the book really does do the trick. Thanks again for commenting, and I hope you will sleep well tonight!
I’ve had problems with sleep for years, but so far no doctor has really bothered paying too much attention to it. I guess I’ll hope my new doctor will hopefully understand that something needs to be done.
I’ll try out your technique tonight and see how it goes.
You have a nice sleep too.
Poor guy! Please let me know, but it does sound like you could use some help from the doctor to find an answer to this. Words can’t describe how awful a sleep problem is.
I find what you said has been quite accurate: when you dive deeper in the real life events, at times it’ll worsen the sleepless condition. For example, last night it was about 2am I turned in, couldn’t sleep even though my body was exhausted. My mind was still twirling with real life matters, incidents… no help at all. I had to tell myself to be calm, then I started to pray instead which finally I fall asleep before I knew it. I may try the imaginary part next time if I ever had such condition again — think about something pleasant but not too much. ^^
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You know, prayer is a fine idea. I’ve done that too. Start thinking of the things you’re thankful for – unless that ends up having you go off into thinking about *real life* again, etc.
It always makes me so mad at myself if I find I’ve been lying in my bed with my thoughts whirling for quite a while and just was so tired I didn’t notice how long it had gone on.
All fine suggestions! I’d love to try them sometime. Just a curious question: do any of the thoughts that keep you up in the form of nightmares? That’s the case with me. Depending on what kind of thought it is, my body feels stressed and sometimes, it’s as though I cannot move. It’s kind of hard to explain.
The method I use is simple: I just let my brain work until it wears itself out. If it wants me to read or think about my life, I do it until I can’t do it anymore. It’s lame, but it’s better than nothing I suppose…
Oh Miyuki I’m sorry I didn’t see this comment before. No, I haven’t had the nightmares – it’s more that when I wake up naturally during the night, some situation from real life will land in my thoughts with a clarity that can make it really hard to go back to sleep.
Not lame at all! We all have things we’ve found that work to get us back to sleep. Sometimes they’ll work for a long time then we go to something else later.
Yup, this actually works… did for me at least, last night. Went for coffee with Megan Fox!
Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..“Unfriend” – Word Of The Year 2009
Klaus, that is awesome!
I hope the paparazzi wasn’t bothering you two too much!
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