How to Quiet a Racing Mind Before Sleep

You know those nights when you’re wiped out but your thoughts just won’t slow down. You lie there replaying the day, worrying about tomorrow, and thinking through every little thing. It feels as if your head didn’t get the message that it’s time to rest.

In my work providing Counselling, Coaching and Hypnotherapy in Witney, Oxfordshire, I hear this a lot from clients who live with anxiety, ADHD, or stress. It’s not that you can’t sleep, it’s that your mind hasn’t learned how to switch gears.

Here are a few realistic ways to help calm that noise so your body and brain can finally rest.

1. Stop fighting it

When your mind is full, trying to force it to stop thinking only adds more tension. Notice what’s happening instead. Tell yourself, “Alright, my thoughts are busy again.” That small shift helps your nervous system feel safe enough to ease down.

In counselling when working with anxiety, we often focus on awareness first, not control. You don’t have to push the thoughts away; you just need to stop wrestling with them.

2. Focus on your body

When the mind races, the body tightens: shoulders, jaw, even breathing. Bringing attention back to the body reconnects you to the present moment.

Try this: Lie back and rest your hands on your stomach. Breathe in slowly through your nose, then out through your mouth. Feel the movement under your hands. With each breath out, imagine releasing a little more tension.

This simple mindfulness technique often used in coaching for stress and overthinking, helps train your brain that it’s safe to rest.

3. Write it down

A racing mind is often trying to help, not hurt. It keeps running because it doesn’t want you to forget something. Keep a notebook beside the bed and let those thoughts out.

You’re telling your brain, “It’s okay, I’ve got this noted.” That one act of writing is enough to quiet the worry loop. You don’t need to solve anything tonight, just move it out of your head and onto paper.

4. Use sound to guide your focus

Complete silence can make a busy mind louder. Gentle sound gives your thoughts a calm rhythm to follow: music, rain sounds, or hypnotherapy for sleep.

If you’d like a place to start, I’ve recorded a  guided hypnosis for sleep that walks you through how to relax both body and mind. You can purchase it from my website here: Audio collection | BLT 2021

Many people use it nightly to retrain their brain’s sleep response.

5. Build a simple sleep routine

Your brain thrives on repetition. Doing the same few things each night teaches it when to switch off.

A simple pattern might look like this:

• Dim the lights half an hour before bed.

• Do a few slow breaths or stretches.

• Jot down anything that’s still on your mind.

• Listen to something calming.

• Then, lights out.

It doesn’t need to be perfect, just consistent. This kind of routine is something I encourage in both coaching and therapy because it tells the body, “We’re done for today.”

6. Calm doesn’t mean silence

You don’t need a blank mind to fall asleep. The goal is to soften the edges, not clear the slate. Notice the thoughts, thank them for showing up, and come back to the breath. Over time, this gentle repetition rewires your brain toward calm.

Sleep happens when body and mind agree it’s safe to rest. Create that sense of safety, and rest takes care of itself.

7. A small reminder before you turn the light off

Your mind races because it cares about work, family, life, and all the things that matter. It’s scanning for danger, trying to keep you ready. But night-time isn’t for solutions; it’s for trust. Trust that you’ve done enough for today, and that tomorrow can wait.

Final thought

A racing mind doesn’t need to be silenced; it needs reassurance. Treat it with patience and steady practice, and it will eventually learn to rest.

If you’d like personal support or to explore how counselling, coaching, or hypnotherapy can help you manage overthinking, you can book a free consultation here: Best Life Therapies | counselling and hypnotherapy in Witney and online | Oxfordshire, UK

I work with clients here in Witney Oxfordshire and surrounding areas as well as online across the UK.

Until next time.

Here’s to your best life, and a peaceful night’s sleep.

– Tom