Why Your Brain Thinks Weird Thoughts at Night—and 5 Proven Ways to Calm Your Mind
- Do fish get thirsty?
- What happened to that one kid from third grade?
- Could I win a fight against a goose?
It feels absurd, but it’s actually a result of your fight-or-flight response kicking in. When you can’t sleep, it’s often because your brain is stuck in high alert mode. This overactive survival mechanism, designed to protect you from danger, misfires and convinces your brain that something’s wrong.
But when your brain can’t find an obvious threat—no loud noises, no actual danger—it keeps scanning… until it latches onto something. An embarrassing memory. An unfinished task. Or a bizarre midnight mystery that suddenly feels impossible to ignore.
Why ADHD Makes This Worse
If you have ADHD, this nighttime spiral can be even more intense—and incredibly frustrating. The ADHD brain tends to struggle with shutting off and shifting focus, which makes it harder to let intrusive or repetitive thoughts fade into the background.
Instead of gently drifting to sleep, your brain locks onto these thoughts, replaying them over and over. The randomness of the topics—whether it’s an old conversation, a half-finished task, or a puzzling question—doesn’t make them any less consuming. In fact, the lack of resolution often makes them feel more urgent.
The result? You’re wide awake, stuck in a loop, and increasingly frustrated as the hours tick by.
5 Evidence-Based Ways to Calm a Racing Brain at Night
1. Recognize What’s Happening
Understand that your brain isn’t broken—it’s just doing its job. Your fight-or-flight system is on high alert, and your brain is scanning for answers. When you notice this happening, remind yourself: “This is just my brain trying to protect me. I’m safe.”
2. Get Out of Bed if You Can’t Sleep After 15–20 Minutes
Lying awake teaches your brain to associate your bed with stress and wakefulness instead of rest. If you’re not asleep after 15–20 minutes, get up, keep the lights dim, and do something calm or low-stakes, like reading or listening to soft music.
3. Racing Mind Reset
Write your thoughts down on paper. On the left side, list every thought, task, or random worry running through your mind. On the right side, jot down one small, actionable step to address each thought tomorrow. This simple exercise helps your brain trust that these thoughts are handled and don’t need to be revisited overnight.
4. Cognitive Shuffling
This technique gently distracts your brain by giving it something neutral and repetitive to focus on. Pick a simple word, like “apple” or “cloud.” For each letter, think of unrelated words or images starting with that letter (A: Ant, Apron, Airplane). Picture each word briefly in your mind before moving on to the next. If your thoughts start wandering, gently return to your chosen word.
Why it works: Cognitive Shuffling mimics the fragmented, nonsensical thought patterns your brain naturally follows as you drift off to sleep. It interrupts problem-solving loops and lowers mental arousal.
5. Reframe Your Thoughts
Instead of spiraling into, “If I don’t sleep, tomorrow is ruined,” remind yourself: “Resting calmly is still good for me, even if I’m not asleep yet.” This simple mental shift reduces pressure and helps your brain relax into sleep.
The Big Takeaway
Your brain isn’t malfunctioning—it’s trying to protect you. But sleep isn’t something you can force. The goal is to gently interrupt this mental spiral, lower your brain’s sense of threat, and create space for sleep to happen naturally.
Want More Practical Sleep Strategies?
If you found these tips helpful, join our free training, How to Get the Quality Sleep You Need Without Medication, Meditation, Quitting Caffeine, or Giving Up Screens to learn more actionable, science-backed sleep strategies. You'll also learn more about our comprehensive course designed to help you master the art of better sleep.
Because better sleep isn’t about forcing your brain—it’s about guiding it.
