Intrusive Thoughts

Sometimes it’s hard for people to shut off their minds when they go to bed. When people try to stop the flow of thoughts and it doesn’t work, they can get frustrated or feel anxious. This can make it even harder to fall asleep.

Drs. Morin and Espie, two sleep psychologists, have written about ways to manage intrusive thoughts that happen at night. If the thoughts are predictable (like reviewing events from that day or planning for tomorrow), they suggest trying a technique called putting the day to rest. If the thoughts jump from topic to topic, they suggest imagery or articulatory suppression.

Putting the Day to Rest

It’s a good idea to add this strategy to your pre-sleep routine. It involves these steps:

• At about 7 p.m. every evening, sit down with a pen and notebook for about 20 minutes.
• Think about what happened that day. Think about how things went and how you feel about the day. Write your feelings down.
• Write down what you didn’t get done and make a plan to finish these tasks tomorrow. When you’re done, close the notebook.
• Put a piece of paper beside your bed. Write down any new thoughts that come up during the night and tell yourself you’ll deal with them tomorrow. Add the piece of paper to your notebook in the morning.

Imagery

Imagery is a type of relaxation when you imagine yourself in a nice place like on a beach. Try this imagery relaxation track.

Articulatory Suppression

Close your eyes and think of the word “the” 1 to 2 times per second. Do this for 5 minutes or until you fall asleep.

Homework

If you have intrusive thoughts try these strategies:

• Try putting the day to rest for 1 to 2 nights.
• Listen to the imagery track one night before bed.
• Try articulatory suppression for 1 to 2 nights.​​​​
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