Here’s something I found really helpful for improving my sleep, and it’s something I don’t often hear people talk about: I started limiting how much I engage with deep thinking or problem-solving in the hour before bed. As a therapist, I spend a lot of my day working through tough emotions and big ideas with clients, and I’ve learned that the brain needs a break too. For me, winding down became harder when I was still deep in thought about a challenging case or an article I’d read. So, I began setting a ‘no thinking zone’ for the last hour before bed. That means no trying to solve problems, no diving into complex topics, and especially no checking my email or social media. Instead, I focus on lighter activities, like reading a novel or listening to calming music. It’s not always easy, but I’ve found it really helps me separate my work brain from my sleep brain. It’s a simple shift, but it has made a noticeable difference in the quality of my sleep.
No caffeine at all after midday
Dev said:
No caffeine at all after midday
Yup. Even one square of dark chocolate after mid-afternoon keeps me up past midnight.
Dev said:
No caffeine at all after midday
Yup. Even one square of dark chocolate after mid-afternoon keeps me up past midnight.
Dark chocolate in the afternoon keeps you up until midnight?
@Cairo
My husband is super caffeine sensitive. He cannot even have green tea in the late afternoon because he won’t be back to sleep.
@Cairo
If it’s late afternoon or evening, yes. If I have the dark chocolate by mid-afternoon it’s okay. Tea after noon will keep me up to midnight as well.
Dev said:
No caffeine at all after midday
Yes!!! Even if I have it at 1-2pm it makes me stay up til 3-4am
Dev said:
No caffeine at all after midday
Sometimes the simplest habits make the biggest difference.
For me, it was removing my phone & TV from my bedroom. I switched to a classic, super simple alarm clock and I’ve never looked back.
Bailey said:
For me, it was removing my phone & TV from my bedroom. I switched to a classic, super simple alarm clock and I’ve never looked back.
I thought ditching screens would help tremendously, and I fully believe it does for some people, but personally I realized that whatever nonsense I was watching/listening to in order to get to sleep was preventing me from ruminating and getting stuck trying to solve massive problems while laying down
@Ren
Same, I can’t sleep without listening to something. Otherwise, my anxiety gets the zoomies and I’m wide awake for 2 hours
@Ren
Have you tried reading? I can’t do anything heavy or non fiction, but a light easy read rom-com is just what my brain needs for a good sleep
Galen said:
@Ren
Have you tried reading? I can’t do anything heavy or non fiction, but a light easy read rom-com is just what my brain needs for a good sleep
Great tip!
@Ren
I read somewhere if your mind won’t shut up at night start counting down from 150 & surprisingly this has actually worked for me when nothing else did. I’m never able to reach 0. I’m always knocked out before then.
@Zane
Damn, I wish I could fall asleep by thinking. I’ve reached several thousand by counting up, maybe counting down is different
@Zane
That’s a solid win! Definitely worth trying
@Ren
I need background conversation I’m not involved in too. Football reruns work for me
Isle said:
@Ren
I need background conversation I’m not involved in too. Football reruns work for me
Yeah I need to find a better in between that I’m not too engaged in. I used to listen to comedy podcasts a lot but I find myself engaging with the bits mentally a little too much to feel sleepy
Isle said:
@Ren
I need background conversation I’m not involved in too. Football reruns work for me
Background noise, like football reruns, can act as a kind of white noise for the brain, just engaging enough to distract you, but not so much that it keeps you awake. Plus, there’s something comforting about familiar sounds…
@Winslow
It’s soothing to me