A couple of my close friends have been experiencing the same thing, voices in your head that will not quiet to let you rest. I think there are times when this noise needs our attention and other times when it just needs to shut up.
Several years ago I experienced this regularly while going through my divorce and dealing with transitions and struggles with my teenagers. It was difficult.
It seemed at night when I finally had a break from the 3 jobs I was working and the necessary tasks of caring for my home and children I often found myself exhausted but with heavy thoughts standing in my way of much needed rest.
I dealt with this by waking up an journalling my thoughts as well as possible solutions and step by step plans to deal with whatever was on my mind. It seemed to work well once I attended to the thoughts they let me rest.
I think that there are times in our lives when our day time hours are so full of distraction that we just cannot get to everything, but our minds do not accept that we are just too busy and will make some noise to get our attention. Or maybe there are pressing issues you chose to ignore in your life, the subconscious mind may not have gotten that memo so it goes to work when you least expect it, some things simply will not be ignored. It is like tending to a small child that will not stop crying till he is heard and cared for. As annoying as it can be, it can also be purposeful and productive. It may allow us to be proactive when there are things that require our attention, even when we may have wanted to ignore them all together. Sometimes our subconscious knows better and will prod us to take action. Some of my best plans and deepest insights have come in these restless, quiet and sleepless moments.
There are also times when the annoying voices in the night are just that, annoying. We all have a constant companion that narrates and comments on our lives and it is often nothing but useless thoughts or idle chatter that steals our sleep. Regrets over things that are already done, playing out possibilities for things that may not even come our way and agonizing over meaningless minutia of the coming day or week certainly do not fall under the category of pressing issues requiring immediate attention.
Restless nights and noisy voices are frustrating and even more than that, detrimental to our health. We often underestimate the importance of rest to our overall health but research is conclusive that sleep impacts everything from brain function to aging and even weight. There are volumes written about healthy habits for better sleep and of course many medications to use to help make it through the night as well. I think for the occasional sleeplessness we all occasionally suffer that are due to the voices I describe, a simple approach is best.
I suggest that you first discern which type of voices are taunting you. Is it real issues that you need to attend to or more of the white noise or useless worry variety that fills your brain and steals your sleep?
For the type that are a legitimate concern, rather than toss and turn take out a journal. Let your thoughts fill the page as they come, do not be concerned about format or even if it makes any sense, just write till you are done. If you are inspired, write down some small or detailed plan of what you will do in the day time to address this issue. Often, this exercise may be enough to release what is bothering you and you can get some sleep. If these types of thoughts tend to trouble you it is a good idea to have a paper and pen by the bedside at the ready. If you find this to be very frequent you may want to be proactive and do some journaling before you tuck yourself in for the night as part of your bedtime routine. I think this practice of writing thoughts down and maybe some solutions or plans as you have them, can be very powerful to bring awareness and organization to your thoughts to help you find peace and rest.
The other idle chatter can be bothersome both day and night and rob us of any real relaxation at all.
The best way to combat this is to gain a better control of your brain and thinking altogether. This is best achieved through meditation and physical exercise. Many people falsely believe that cannot meditate successfully because they do not know how or when they have tried they were unable to turn off their brains so gave up. There are many myths about mediation, but the most undermining is the idea that you need to have no thoughts or some profoundly peaceful experience to benefit. This is just not true.
There are many methods to help you meditate and the benefits are too long to list. Better sleep, less anxiety and depression, lower blood pressure, decreased stress and so on. The key is to find a method or two to use and do it regularly. Think of it as maintaining a healthy brain and just like our bodies that require regular nutrition and exercise, mediation benefits us greatly with regular practice. Overtime the results will be subtle but profound. Physical exercise benefits our bodies certainly but also our minds as we physically work through our thoughts and release stress, sleep may come more easily.
I am a trained Transcendental meditator, this wonderful practice requires two 40 min sessions per day. I did this for quite some time and really enjoyed the peace it added to my life. But I admit I fell out of practice and do not usually carve out the time for that lately. In fact I have been meaning to jumpstart my practice by visiting my teacher for a refresher soon. For now, I use 10 - 30 minute guided sessions daily that offer an oasis midpoint in my day and somehow both give me rest and reenergize me.
Take the steps you need to quiet the voices in the night. You will find that not only will your nights be more peaceful and restful but the rest of your life will improve dramatically as well.
Resources for Meditation:
Headspace phone app and online resource provide quick guided meditation that not only instructs you on how to begin your practice but dispels myths and explains benefits all with an awesome accent! Free 10 min for ten days app on the phone is a great way to start. I have been using those ten days for months. Yes, 10 minutes a day makes a big difference.
https://www.headspace.com
Brain Sync
Recorded meditations you can download on a variety of topics that have brain wave ethnology built in to help you meditate more easily and deeply. They have free down load to try.
http://www.brainsync.com/deep-meditation.html
Transcendental Mediation This method uses a perusal mantra and requires professional instruction. It was made popular decades ago by the Beetles but has mad a resurgence with devotees like Oprah and Dr Oz as well as many people from all walks of life, like me.
http://www.tm.org/?leadsource=CRM662
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