Why can't I settle down at night?

I find very often that I can't settle down at night, because my mind is still racing with activity. This usually happens when I have had a long and busy day. A few things I do to settle down - some light exercise or reading.

Your brain thinks that it is still day time. This makes it function to keep you awake and active. This can be caused by too much screen time before bed. Try to not be on any electronic device 30 minutes before you go to bed.

Sometimes when we are worried or stressed or simply have a lot of things going on in our lives it is hard to wind down and "switch our brains off". If this is why there are many helpful tips to make it easier. You could try techniques like guided imagery and there's even apps that you can download to help with this. if you have a lot on your mind you can try going to sleep and then anything that pops into your head you can write down and tell yourself you will look at it in the morning because there isn't anything you can do about it now. Another thing you can do, if your problem is that your simply just not tired, is make a solid bedtime routine that you use every night that consists of stuff like, read something light for a hour then get in the bath/shower get ready for bed and get in without using any media. After a while your brain will recognise this is bed time and will automatically start to tire you so you can get to sleep.

Your mind is still working over time. Trying to take care of all the things it felt it couldn't during the day. Maybe you were busy or distracted? Quick tip to help this, try writing a little note of your day, maybe add a few things you need to do for tomorrow. E.g work was busy, non stop at lunch. Felt like the boss had it in for me. Was good to relax in the bath. Need to remember to take the car into the garage tomorrow. Call Lucy about the weekend." This will help organise your thoughts before sleep :)

Because you may have too much stuff on your mind due to hectic work or school day or you're stressed about tomorrow's meeting with someone or school exam.

Sometimes we can't settle down at night because something is bothering us or we're worried. On nights I can't sleep I try to calm myself by listening to music .

Take the time out to let your body wind down. Maybe there is to much going on around you causing you to be up at night.

Your mind and body are still awake so you can't settle down as you would like to. It may take a while for your body and mind to realize you're ready to calm down and sleep.