Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Oct 29, 2025

Why your brain keeps overthinking at night – and how to switch it off

Why your brain keeps overthinking at night – and how to switch it off

Over the last few weeks, I’ve found it impossible to drift off to sleep at a reasonable time.

My body will be positively knackered but my brain refuses to shut off, and so I lie there, eyes wide open in the dark, attempting to count sheep.

The problem is that my thoughts tend to spiral when I’m in bed: they’re not necessarily anxious thoughts, they could be about anything, but I’ll go down rabbit holes about everything from what I need to do in the gym tomorrow to a conversation I had with a friend two weeks ago.

Sleep problems aren’t foreign to me – I’ve always struggled to doze off – which is perhaps why it took me longer than I’d like to admit to link the tight sensation I’ve been feeling in my chest to the fact my brain won’t power down at night.

While I haven’t been officially diagnosed, all signs point to me having anxiety, and descriptions of ‘high-functioning’ anxiety online somewhat resonate – though some clinicians question the use of the term.


What is ‘high-functioning’ anxiety impact and how can it affect your sleep?


‘There are no agreed diagnostic criteria for high-functioning anxiety, and many clinicians would question whether it exists in its own right, but most would agree that despite persistently high levels of generalised anxiety some people can continue to function very well,’ Professor John Groeger, a lecturer in psychology and director of Sleep Well Science at Nottingham Trent University, tells Metro.co.uk.

Although anxiety in this form isn’t debilitating, says John, ‘the worry, fatigue, sleep loss, feelings of anger, etc will ultimately wear down even the hardest campaigner’.

The problem when anxiety manifests in this way, is that many people might not even register they’re dealing with it – and anxiety, high-functioning or not, can be a key driver of sleep struggles.

‘We can only sleep when we are sufficiently exhausted (and hence unable to worry!) or sufficiently relaxed,’ says John.

‘Stress will delay our sleep, because we are simply too aroused to relax.’

Dr Meg Arroll, a clinical psychologist and author of Tiny Traumas: When you don’t know what’s wrong, but nothing feels quite right, tells Metro.co.uk that this is because ‘the stress response triggered by anxious thoughts overrides the sleep drive as it is so key for survival.’

Essentially, if our body thinks we’re in danger (which is basically what anxiety is), it won’t want us to sleep for practical reasons, even when there is no real threat.

The problem is, a lack of sleep can then contribute to our anxiety, causing a potentially infinite feedback loop.

Not being able to switch off in bed can be a sign of stress


‘After a stressful day, and a shortened or broken night’s sleep, we will function worse,’ says John.

‘Our concentration will be poorer, our intolerance greater, and the effort we need to make will increase.

‘We will become more sensitive to, perhaps find it less easy to forgive, what we see as ‘faults’ in others, such as delays we encounter.’

The added anxiety of all of this might then make it even harder to sleep the following night, and so on.

This will be even worse if we attempt to curb our anxiety and irritability with caffeine or excess food and sugar, John adds.


How to sleep better when your brain won’t shut off


So, how do we solve this seemingly never-ending cycle of overthinking, anxiety and bad sleep?

John suggests journalling or speaking to someone you trust before you attempt to sleep, so as ‘not to bring your worries to bed’.

Instead, he says, think about the things that went well during the day.

‘If you cannot think of anything, think about a previous day,’ he adds.

Finally, avoid confrontational and anxiety-inducing situations where possible, skip the alcoholic nightcap, avoid excess caffeine and try to exercise, especially outside and earlier in the day.

‘Above all,’ says John, ‘seek professional help and the support of those who love you.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
×