Our brains are amazing - but their timing can suck!

Does this sound familiar? You’re just settling down to sleep, and your brain decides now is a good time to raise some issues. It’s something that happens to me, and to many of my clients too. Our brains are amazing - but their timing can suck!

And it’s not just any old issues it wants to raise. They are either:

1. Things that will change the world and inevitably I can’t remember what they were the next day, or (and more often)

2. Things that are worrying it and it wants to share

The latter, of course, is the least helpful, because there’s nothing you can do about those things while you’re in bed. Once that happens, you’re not likely to get any sleep; or you’ll get half an hour just before the alarm goes off. And that adds in anxiety about how little sleep you’ve had!

It’s part of what makes our brains so wonderful - it recalls and remembers things we need to get done, and can subconsciously register things that might be an issue in the future.

Unfortunately, this makes it not such a good ‘cabbage storage space’ – it holds on to many of the things that we’re juggling with throughout the day, so we don’t forget about them. Then, it surfaces those at the time we’re in a relaxed state and can’t do anything about it.

So, what to do?

The answer is simple: don’t disregard what your brain is trying to tell you, but find a better time to let those things surface than just before you go to sleep. Put aside ten to fifteen minutes to empty your head of whatever is bothering you.

It’s important to jot down these thoughts somewhere, because they’re probably things you need to do – they just can’t stay in your head. That’s just the surface stuff, though. Once you’ve got those down, ask your brain:

“Come on then, what is it? What is it really?” If you give it a little time and space, on your terms, it’s amazing what can come up. These will be the big things on your mind. And in so doing, you’ll hopefully reduce the inappropriately timed surfacing of those thoughts.

If you can carve out ten minutes on an evening and do what I call a ‘closing ceremony’, you give your brain time to air its worries and grievances. You can then capture them, reassure your brain: “You’ve got this” and can look forward to a better night’s sleep.

Free - Sleep Improvement Programme

If you feel your sleep could do with some improvement why not check out my 7 Day Sleep Improvement programme ('Operation Snooze - the 3 Zzzed's to Better Sleep')? It's a free audio programme with tips, information and sleep relaxations (click the link above). You will also get an e-book, infographic and sleep checklist.

Good Luck and let me know how you get on.

Dave

Dave Algeo

Midlife Health and Weight Management Coach

Reclaim your Health, Life and Sense of Adventure in Midlife and Beyond

https://www.midlifereshape.com/