When you don\u2019t sleep well at night, you might wake up feeling even more tired than when you went to bed. You may even feel sleepy and out-of-sorts during the day and struggle to stay alert and productive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the long term<\/a>, poor sleep may raise your risk of health conditions like heart disease<\/a>, depression<\/a>, and type 2 diabetes<\/a>. Yet many people\u2014about one-third of adults in the United States, in fact\u2014still don\u2019t get enough sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oftentimes, people don’t get enough shuteye because they struggle to fall asleep in the first place, even when exhausted.\u00a0A common reason<\/a>\u00a0why this happens is due to having racing and overwhelming thoughts at bedtime.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can relate to this experience, then read on to learn ways to calm your mind before bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRacing thoughts often happen as we are trying to go to sleep,\u201d says Amanda Marks<\/a>, an Atlanta-based therapist and yoga teacher specializing in anxiety<\/a>. Whether or not these thoughts are worries or positive, they can be overwhelming so much that getting much-needed shuteye in bed starts to feel like a dream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA racing mind before bedtime can be triggered by stress, anxiety, worries, caffeine, alcohol, mental health issues, or certain medications,\u201d explains Shelby Harris<\/a>, PsyD, director of sleep health at Sleepopolis. \u201cWhen preparing for sleep, our minds are less occupied, allowing underlying concerns and stressors to surface, making it difficult to fall asleep calmly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marks adds that the busyness of the day allows us to distract ourselves from or avoid our thoughts. So when it\u2019s time to go to bed, and our environment is quiet, the thoughts\u2014including our stressors and worries\u2014come rushing back to us as we try to sleep, she explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch this video for tips on how to put together a relaxing bedtime routine:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat causes a racing mind before bed?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n