Does this happen to anyone else when they try to sleep?

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Legendwind
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11 Aug 2012, 5:12 pm

Sometimes when I lay in bed at night I'll try to get to sleep but my mind will refuse to shut down. Most of the time, my mind does what I call "social deconstructions" where I analyse the details of social situations that ended poorly or embarrassed me. I focus on everything I can remember, how things smelled, what I was hearing and saying, the tone of the persons voice. I will analyse a situation literally hundreds of times and I can't stop it, it's like my mind is torturing me and it won't let me go to sleep. It gets so frustrating for me because my mind won't shut off and sleep that I pull a pillow down over my ears to shut out the rest of the noise and try to quiet my mind but it usually never works. It's gotten so bad that I've been up all night before, without so much as a minute of sleep, and it usually ends with me vomiting because I'm so exhausted or upset. Does this ever happen to anyone? This just happened to me really badly on Tuesday night and I was just wondering if anyone else can relate? The only thing that has helped it smoking marijuana an hour or two before I go to bed because it makes me tired but I don't like to do that because I live with my parents and don't like coming home high.



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11 Aug 2012, 5:26 pm

I do tend to stay up late and wonder if my mind wants to become more active when the rest of the house is finally quiet.

Over the last couple of years though I've to added meditation to my bed time. I may read a book for a while, then when I turn the light off I lay flat on my back meditating. It calms my mind and I have less random thoughts. It's almost like it primes my mind for sleep.



singularity
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11 Aug 2012, 6:09 pm

I do the same thing after I've had a really busy day, or gone out on a date, or if anything particularly stressful has happened. I replay conversations and attempt to analyse the meaning of particular words, agonize over misunderstandings or what I should have said/done.. Basically drive myself crazy, much like the OP. I just can't seem to turn off my obsessive brain. Sometimes I'll just give up on sleep and try to distract myself with the internet, or doing some drawing. Sometimes I'll try having a shot of scotch. I guess your family wouldn't approve of that, either. I guess I'm fortunate that I live alone and can do as I please.



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11 Aug 2012, 6:14 pm

im the very same way. cannabis does help for me. if someone is awake in my house I just cant sleep especially if they are watching tv. its drives me nuts hearing the muffled sound of a tv because I tend to start focusing on it.



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11 Aug 2012, 6:14 pm

Background noise is what you need.

A TV on a low volume, a radio, a desk fan, find something. Honestly, it helps. I get exactly the same as you, minus the putting pillows over my ears and stuff and throwing up etc. but yeah, I go over things in my head. Regretting saying this and that to so-and-so, analysing situations all the time!



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11 Aug 2012, 6:19 pm

i go over things in my head a lot at night for some reason


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11 Aug 2012, 6:44 pm

I like to think over things, but I don't go over things that make me feel bad. I find it calming and it helps with going to sleep.


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mntn13
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11 Aug 2012, 6:48 pm

Legendwind wrote:
Sometimes when I lay in bed at night I'll try to get to sleep but my mind will refuse to shut down. Most of the time, my mind does what I call "social deconstructions" where I analyse the details of social situations that ended poorly or embarrassed me. I focus on everything I can remember, how things smelled, what I was hearing and saying, the tone of the persons voice. I will analyse a situation literally hundreds of times and I can't stop it, it's like my mind is torturing me and it won't let me go to sleep.....

Yes, the exact same thing happens to me. Here's what works for me 90% of the time.
Once I realize My Brain is doing this, I pretend to shout, "stop!" at myself (I know, it sounds weird). Then, and this is the important part, I start re-telling a book or movie to myself in as much detail as possible. Usually, My Brain starts back in on the analyzations and have to say, "stop!" again, and keep making myself sequentially think of the story or movie. Hope that helps, because I know how bad this can get. You've gotta re-train your brain. Good luck. :)



KaminariNoKage
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11 Aug 2012, 6:50 pm

It takes me about an hour to fall asleep, but for other reasons. Analyzing conversations though - yeah, that happens. I pace though, sometimes for an hour or more, usually around 1 or 2 am, and chew my fingers off.



alecazam3567
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11 Aug 2012, 6:50 pm

I fantasize conversations and daydream while I'm trying to sleep, but I go over social situations as well. Especially the embarrassing ones. I try to figure out what I should have said instead of what I did say that made it embarrassing. I even think over what I will do later on or the next day, and about people. It truly never stops, but somehow I get to sleep in an hour or so.



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11 Aug 2012, 7:20 pm

I do that after I have a shutdown during the day when my feelings happen to be more raw than usual and somebody crosses the line with me. I remember what the room looked like and if it was dark or bright.


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11 Aug 2012, 9:22 pm

Yes,this is the exact problem,I can't shut my mind off.I keep ruminating over things,good and bad.Alcohol dos'nt help because I'll wake up later and then I really can't sleep.Weed dos'nt help either.Anti - anxiety medicine helps some.I try to visualize soothing things,run the fan but sometimes nothing works and I'm up way too late and then feel horrid the next day.If I have a stuffy nose benadryl will knock me out like nothing else but it's not really a sleep aid.Sweet dreams everybody.