Even when you are tired, why, especially when you’ve had a busy day, the mind just refuses to shut its factory and keeps churning thoughts at a fast speed. So much so, you’re tired of the thoughts too at some point in time. Nothing can undermine the importance of a good night’s sleep. It not only helps us rejuvenate, but also helps solidify memory, aids digestion, flushes toxins, improves cognition, keeps you positive, clarify confusion, sort things out, be more creative the next day, relax aching muscles and in general, feel refreshed. How we sleep, when we sleep at the end of the day and how much we sleep throughout the night also depends on our age. Kids sleep early and quickly and can easily get upto 9 hours of undisturbed sleep. You feel more sleepy in the morning when you’re young. As you grow older, we sleep late and tend to wake up early too. That is our body’s mechanism designed towards a growing body in the initial years.
How do I stop the mind and get some sleep is all you’re worried. But why does the brain not quiten?
Scientists have many theories about the brain and its machinations. Some reasons why the brain is in overdrive even when it ought to take some rest are
- Excess activity: With our current lifestyles, we pack in a lot of stuff in a day’s work. Home, office, kids, their school schedules, work demands, social life, friends, after hours parties, social media, web-series, shopping, incomplete tasks…you get the drift. There’s an overdose of stimuli to the brain, all of which it must process, store and retrieve on demand. Add to it the caffeine that you consume to keep yourself alert, it’s a sure-shot formula to stay awake. So at the end of the day, the brain finds itself still doing that, not knowing where to stop.What you can do: Take time to wind down after a day full of activity. Slow down your movements, dim the lights and put on some soothing music well before bedtime. Speak less, finish dinner a good couple of hours before hitting the sack.
- Excess stress: Fretting about your investments, kids’ education, EMI’s, job security, health of loved ones and in general thinking about the future causes stress levels to spike. Stress causes excess release of stress hormones like cortisol which keep the body alert by working on the muscles. So even though you’re tired physically, the mind doesn’t allow you to sleep.What you can do: Put down all your issues on paper and write the possible solutions besides it. Mark fixed timelines for completion. This way, you know you are in control of things
- Physical causes like pain in the limbs, stomach, head or joints does not allow you to fall asleep even when you’re feeling dead tired. Certain medications also alter our sleep patterns to a great extent. Ignoring slight pains in the initial stage can lead to aggravated conditions later that can have a deep impact on the way we rest and feel invigorated the next morning.What can you do: Get timely treatment for the root cause of pain anywhere in the body. Check with your doctor if you can alter the medicines that leaves you deprived of sleep
- When the mind is filled with anxiety, worries, negative thoughts, it’s time to replace them with positive ones. Negative thoughts, fears, envy all create a downward spiral that saps you of energy and keeps you awake. Read more....
