Imagine an ancient human: if they constantly thought about the beauty surrounding them, they would soon become prey to some predator. Therefore, they had to think about that same predator, how to deal with it, and so on. The same mechanism works in modern humans: by remembering uncomfortable (consider them dangerous cases) life moments, we pay attention to them and learn from them. This helps avoid similar situations in the future or get out of them with dignity.

If you pay attention to the thoughts that oppress you, you can understand yourself a little more. For example, something unpleasant happened to you at work and the thought doesn`t leave you - it probably means that your professional activity is very important to you. If you involuntarily think about something awkward you did in a group of friends, you probably worry that people might not accept you.

This pessimistic thinking is called the brain`s bias towards negative events. The point is that failure can teach us more than success. At least in ancient times it was so, but now, it is believed, it causes more harm than good.

This thinking process intensifies if you don`t have free time during the day. For example, these are new parents. They don`t have an extra minute in the literal sense to think about what`s happening in life, and before sleep, the brain ”seizes the moment” and literally overwhelms you with an abundance of various thoughts and memories. This is completely normal. But if in the evening you are bothered by an abundance of negative thoughts, then you need to try to find time to relax, and at night it will be a little easier.

Remembering the bad before bedtime is normal, but for some people it can be too traumatic.

The problem is usually not the thoughts themselves, but the person`s reaction to them. Some recognize negative images but quickly forget them and move on. But others get stuck, and the same thoughts come to mind. In the latter case, it`s already about a certain pathology that needs to be dealt with.

At risk are people with sleep disorders, post-traumatic disorders, and mental problems (depression, increased anxiety, and so on). Many of them try to suppress negative thoughts. Unfortunately, this doesn`t work but causes the opposite effect: unwanted memories of various troubles become even more.

To not fall into this group of people, you need to stop interacting with negative thoughts; when remembering something bad or embarrassing – immediately think about something else. Don`t pay attention to them, don`t analyze your behavior in a situation that happened a few years ago - just move on.

The worse you sleep, the more such thoughts you will have.

One university conducted an experiment with 100 students: they tried to determine the relationship between sleep quality and repetitive negative thoughts. And, the less a person sleeps, the more such thoughts come to them. True, there`s a small problem here: the scientists couldn`t figure out whether bad sleep leads to anxious thoughts, or anxious thoughts lead to bad sleep. Anyway, there is a connection between these two things.

Moreover, it is known that lack of sleep intensifies a person`s emotional reactions, especially to negative stimuli. If you regularly don`t fall asleep, the connection between the brain`s emotional centers and the part responsible for inhibiting emotions is weaker. The less you sleep, the more actively you react to the negative. If in a normal state you get the impression that you are not working enough and actively, then in conditions of insomnia, you can literally focus on it.

You can easily check if you are getting enough sleep. Set the alarm so that exactly 8 hours have passed from the moment you fall asleep. If you wake up a few minutes before it goes off, then you are sleeping a little more than necessary. If you wake up after the alarm sounds and feel broken, next time add 15 minutes - do this until you start waking up exactly after the alarm and feel well-rested.

If today you allow thinking about the bad, tomorrow these thoughts will double

If at night you remember that you got into an awkward situation and replay it in your mind several times, then the next day you will think about it again. The idea is that thoughts we focus on before sleep are stored in memory. This can work as a life hack: to learn a poem, study it in the evening, not in the morning or during the day.

If bad thoughts don`t let you fall asleep, simple exercises will help

Image. Text in the image: Situation: -I should lose weight... Didn`t wash the dishes...I shouldn`t have answered like that...
Solution: Today I am worried because I...

To get rid of negative thoughts before sleep, you can focus on tactile sensations. It should be almost like meditation: enjoy how soft or rough your sheet is, how your head touches the pillow and sinks into it, or simply focus on your breathing.

There is also an ”exotic” remedy: schedule time for thinking during the day. 10 or 15 minutes will be enough. Just sit down and think about what worries you. This will allow the brain to get rid of unnecessary information, and in the evening, bad thoughts will be fewer or none at all.

Do you fall asleep quickly? What do you think about before bedtime?