Struggling to Turn Your Brain Off at Night? Try this Simple Tip!
You go, go, go ALL DAY LONG, shuffling kids, work meetings, maybe sneak in a quick run before dinner and somehow those hours between and 5pm and bedtime seem to disappear before you even know what happened!
You finally hop into bed, and your body feels exhausted but your brain has different ideas.
LOT’S of them.
The struggle to turn your brain off at night is REAL.
“Did I respond to that email? do we need more avocados? Remember that one time in 3rd grade when you slipped on the stage in front of everyone?” If any of this sounds familiar…keep reading!
You probably already know that sleep is good for your body...but it doesn’t always come easy! Here’s why it’s worth paying a little more attention to.
WHY QUALITY SLEEP MATTERS
Getting enough quality sleep helps to support your immune system, moderates hormone production and regulates your circadian rhythms. SO yes, even though we sometimes view it as expendable, “I’ll just get this project done and catch up on some sleep this weekend”…it’s super important!
Sleep is also the only opportunity your body gets to actually repair and recover!
Growth hormone which allows for tissue repair is released at night and helps your body to regulate your blood sugar and stress hormones like cortisol. When these hormones get out of whack it becomes even more difficult to sleep.
Feeling tired makes EVERYTHING feel just a little bit harder, and you start to get stuck in this negative cycle.
SO even though we know all the benefits, the reality is that you probably aren’t getting enough of it.
So what’s a gal to do?
One of my favorite SIMPLE strategies to help turn off your busy brain is to start a brain dump journal.
WHAT’S a brain dump journal?
Never heard of it?
No worries! Let's break it down.
When you hop into bed and ALL of the things you still need to do or didn’t quite get finished start flowing into your brain, take a minute to get all of the chaos OUT of your head and ONTO paper.
A literal brain dump.
You don’t need to write about your day or what you’re thankful for, just take a few minutes to write down all of the thoughts in your head, add something to your grocery list or write down the meeting you’re afraid you’re going to forget.
It’s all still there, so if you need to worry about it in the morning you can, but for now it’s out of your head so you can fall asleep and stay asleep just a little bit easier.
Here’s how TO GET STARTED:
Grab a notebook or journal to keep by your bed.
Set a timer for 5-10 minutes.
Start writing! Just dump all of those thoughts out of your head and onto the paper. Don’t get caught up overthinking, just get it all out!
Clear the mental clutter and sleep a little easier knowing that all those worries will be there tomorrow right where you left them.
Cheers to sweeter dreams and more restful nights!
I’d love to hear if you try it out!
And if you’re ready to dive a little deeper, join RESET your Sleep. Get back your time and your energy and transform your relationship with sleep in just 28 days! You’ll learn everything from nutrition to movement and nighttime routines that will get you falling asleep and staying asleep a little easier!