Are You Saving Your Worries for Bedtime?
Why Setting an Appointed Worry Time Can Improve Sleep and Emotional Well-being
In today’s fast-paced world, stressors seem to follow us around like shadows. But letting worry slip into your night time routine can lead to sleepless nights and a range of negative impacts on mental and physical health. For a truly restful night, it’s crucial to reframe your relationship with worry and understand how to harness “Worry Time” as a strategy to leave bedtime for sleep, not stress.
The Impact of Sleep Loss Due to Worry
Lack of sleep has a profound effect on our well-being, both physically and mentally. Chronic sleep deprivation can weaken the immune system, impair cognitive function, increase emotional volatility, and even exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression. When we allow our minds to ruminate over problems before bed, we invite worry to disrupt our sleep cycle, causing us to wake up feeling groggy, distracted, and less equipped to handle challenges.
Scheduling Worry Time can help
An “appointed worry time” during the day. Here’s how it works.
Appointing a “Worry Time” earlier in the day gives you the opportunity to compartmentalise concerns, so they don’t follow you into bed. If a troubling thought pops up during the day, make a habit of telling yourself I’ll park it for now and address it during Worry Time instead. This trains the mind to reserve worry for specific moments, rather than allowing it to intrude whenever IT wants.
The interesting part? When worry time finally arrives, you may find that the thought you were so worried about earlier no longer seems urgent, or you may even forget what it was altogether. The purpose of this practice is to set boundaries around worry, which can reduce overall anxiety and improve sleep quality. Just be sure not to jot down worries as reminders — trust the process and leave it to your mind instead, it’s all in the practice.
How to Thrive Beyond Worry Time
Creating a healthy boundary around worry is just one aspect of a holistic approach to well-being. Here are some other foundational practices that can help you improve your sleep, boost your resilience, and realise a greater sense of calm.
Improve Your Sleep Routine
Limit Screen Time: Exposure to screens before bed can suppress melatonin and keep your mind alert when it should be winding down. The Penial gland in the brain recognises dusk as the time to start to wind down for restful sleep. Be mindful of what you watch on television or your smartphone before rest time as this can activate your mind, and you will still think of what you watched or what you listened to and this will reduce your ability to benefit from your rest time.
Avoid Exercise Late in the Evening: Physical activity is essential, but exercising close to bedtime can keep your body in an alert state, delaying relaxation.
Reduce Alcohol Consumption: Alcohol might make you relaxed or drowsy at first, but it is a nerve stimulant and will disrupt sleep quality and can lead to wakefulness later in the night.
Train Your Mind to Associate Bed with Sleep: Establish a firm rule: bed is for sleep, not for worry and fretting, and not for television or smartphones. This reinforces a mental boundary that your bed is a place of rest. Try creating a bedroom as your sanctuary, to become a place of calm, relaxation and a place for restful sleep.
Listen to Relaxing Music: Soft, calming music can ease the mind and help prepare you for restful sleep.
Optimise Nutrition for Better Sleep and Mood
Nutrition plays a key role in mental and physical health. We truly are what we eat, “LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE BY THY FOOD” Hippocrates. Avoid ultra-processed and high sugar foods, instead opt for good quality foods, vitamins and minerals that can help stabilise mood, improve energy levels, and supports overall wellness. Avoid heavy meals before bed and prioritise foods rich in sleep-supportive nutrients, like magnesium and tryptophan.
Incorporate Exercise Regularly
Physical activity has a profound impact on well-being. Whether it’s a gym class, a brisk walk, or a jog, exercise releases endorphins as feel good chemicals, making us feel better and brings us to a positive state of mind and can counteract stress hormones, making it easier to manage anxiety and sleep soundly. Just be mindful of exercising too close to bedtime.
Build and Enhance Social Connections
A sense of community is essential for mental health. Simple actions, like greeting a new neighbour or starting a conversation with a colleague, can boost confidence, reduce stress, and increase feelings of belonging, all of which contribute to better overall emotional well-being.
Understand How You Interpret Your World
Recognise the lens through which you view experiences, as perceptions can impact your mental state. Cultivating awareness around how you interpret events can lead to a more balanced, less reactive mindset.
Practice Daily Mindfulness
Mindfulness keeps you present in the moment, reducing stress and enhancing creativity and focus. Research by psychologist S. Brandt suggests that about 47% of our waking hours are spent thinking about something other than what we’re doing. This “wandering mind” often leads to unhappiness, highlighting the value of staying present and the importance of learning to be more self-aware in our waking hours.
Increase Tolerance Towards Others
Cultivating empathy and understanding can lessen emotional strain. The more we’re able to empathise with others, become non-judgemental and have understanding of our interpretation, the easier it is to maintain inner calm and respond with kindness rather than frustration.
Learn to Recognise and Address Stress
Building awareness around stress triggers and learning how to address them head-on can be a powerful skill. Rather than avoiding or minimising stress, face it, analyse its causes, and adopt strategies to manage it more effectively.
Final Thoughts
Designating a Worry Time is a valuable habit to protect your sleep quality and mental clarity. Alongside other healthy habits like good nutrition, regular exercise, mindfulness, and social connections, Worry Time can help build strong emotional resilience and set clear boundaries for your mind and body. Remember, bedtime is a space reserved for rest and recovery — give yourself permission to let go of worry and embrace peaceful sleep.