"Busy Brain" Is this normal?

You are highly strung. Some people just are. Try plugging radio 4 into your ear holes at night. Works for me. (I am highly strung too) #specialpeople

Yes. Completely normal.

I'm the same, phoenix. My brain can cover two or three things while I'm trying to get to sleep. If I'm gardening I usually have a tune in my head and while I think about what I'm doing I can plan recipes and complete a shopping list at the same time.

I usually appear calm and laid back when chatting to other people but my brain is racing ahead.

While typing this I've planned DGSs birthday barbecue.

Sorted!

phoenix I think this is very common. I have a particular problem when I have been participating in a choir, or rehearsing my own group - my brain soaks up the songs and will not let them go! And at the same time I am reading and have other things buzzing around in my head.

When this happens at night I put on a relaxation CD and float away on that. And mindfulness techniques help, as they train you to focus on one thing at a time. You can download stuff from the net. The important thing to remember is that you have to learn these techniques and they do not come instantly - many people get annoyed with them because the idea is to focus on one thought or idea, and they find their minds wandering and think they have "failed" - it is not failure, but just that you have to practice.

If it is not bothering you, then you can just ignore it; if it is an irritation to you then I hope you will find these ideas helpful.

Above all else, please be reassured that it is in no way abnormal. It often happens when someone has had a lot of stress in their lives - I think you qualify! The adrenaline pumps around when it is not wanted or needed and sends the brain fizzing. Relaxation exercises can settle that down.

Good luck!

Phoenix stress may play a part. You have had more than your fair share of late. Have a and relax.

I am the same, and at night I have Radio $ ( then the World service) burbling quietly in the background, and if I wake up I try to concentrate on whatever is on, but inevitably will doze off again. BUT, during the day, I have found that lately I tizzy about doing a load of half jobs, leaving things half finished, and in terms or running a business, this is a bit of a disaster to be honest, leaves me fretful and worried, but just cant seem to get a grip.

Sorry Radio 4, not Radio $, this is another example of not concentrating on what I am doing.....

As Mishap has said, mindfulness techniques are good for racing brains. I have a book for my Kindle app which incorporates sound files to guide you. Have never tried anything like this before, dismissed it as smoke and mirrors TBH. However it is useful to have something to try when you can't drift off.

Your description of trying to get to sleep - happens to me too, 4 nights out of 7. And the persistent tunes. The other 3, too exhausted to think about it. It's not as if I have weighty problems on my mind, TG.
I find it does help if I have something to eat, eg toast and jam, just before going to bed, plus a hot bath.

I call it flight of thought.

Thank you so much to all that have posted, it really is appreciated!

Quite a few years ago I had a course of hypnotherapy for eczema, which worked well. I was taught techniques for a sort of "self hypnosis" which worked up to a point. I wish I could apply those techniques now, but the "busy brain" gets in the way and makes it very hard.

So glad to hear that I'm not going mad (well, no more than usual) or if it turns out that I am, I definitely wont be travelling solo!

All aboard the busy brain express, no tickets required......

I use an audio book.
Something without a real plot.
Light and humerous short stories, read by Thora Hird etc.
Use ear phones and keep it just loud enough to hear. Doesn't bother anyone else.

I also downloaded 'sounds' onto my Kindle. I was looking for 'white noise' and found, bubbling water, pan pipes, birds chirping.

My head is definitely too busy, often I'm wandering about at 3 or 4 am having had no sleep. I've heard of a condition called hyper-alertness which I guess is another way of saying - can't switch off !!

Thanks Coolgran (b.hell, I'm at risk of sounding like someone else!) I would find it very difficult to change from my preferred bedtime reading, i.e. a book, and currently don't have a kindle or tablet etc. Only (ONLY! ) currently 55, knocking very heavily on the door of 56, no idea why I think that might be relevant, numpty disclaimer.

This sometimes happens to me phoenix just now and then, as I am older than you and retired [so less stress.] When it does I switch on [this is at night obviously] a button on my plug in clock, which has the sound of waves coming into the shore, you can have it as loud or soft as you like. There is also the sound of the rainforest, and something else, but I only use the wave sound.This was bought for me years and years ago by my son [from Argos] wonder if they still do them? Don't worry about your different sense of humour [me too!] there are lots of us out there.

I thought you seemed quite normal, phoenix, but then perhaps I'm not either! Yes, my brain 'buzzes' but not so much now I am retired, so it may have been stress. However, I can be on here but another part of my brain is worrying about the DC and DGC as well as having a vision in front of me about how nice was the place we visited today and seeing the lovely gardens there.

DD has found white noise very effective phoenix she actually bought it for the baby, but found it was putting her to sleep. We've been reading about over excitability in gifted children (re: GS!) and I think a lot of your problems are down to intelligence. Your brain just has lots of things it's trying to do, would you really want to be some one whose brain could only think one thing at a time? I know I drive DH mad because I'm often talking to him while having a completely different conversation with someone else in my head - it never ends well!

I'm another who couldn't switch off at night and would have stuff running through my head. I bought a sound machine that played various calming sounds: rain, streams, birds, waves, white noise (can't remember the others). It really worked for me and I'd fall asleep pretty quickly - now I don't need them at all.

I tried to find a link but it's all modern stuff now! This link lets you put the sounds onto your computer/laptop (but no birdsong): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rain-rain-sleep-sounds/id478687481?mt=8

A friend said to me years ago that she couldn't understand why I had so many thoughts going on at the same time when she had only one at a time. I've always got a song going round on a loop as well; ok when it's a good one but annoyng when it's an irritating one that won't go away [You Can't Hurry Love by Phil Collins is one that I particularly hate..bugger, the seed of that has been planted now]. I wonder if that's why I've taken to falling asleep at night watchinG BBC4? What does worry me is that the bombardment of thought seems to be getting more scrambled as I get older and there seem to be more of them . I think the internet doesn't help because the amount of information is so great and I'm always flitting about with one query leading to another. I find white noise frightening; when I used to look after the chidren when they were babies the white noise from the intercom used to give me the creeps [I used to think to myself 'what if I hear something on it, such as a voice..do I run up to the babies room or do I run out of the house screaming ?'

I was worse when I was working. I'd wake up in the early hours with all sorts of queries, solutions, questions, things to do, people to contact, etc buzzing in my brain.

My solution was to call my work answer-phone and leave myself messages. I believe it's called 'brain dumping'

Me too.

I think we are all just highly intelligent and good at multi-tasking.

Yes, it's annoying. I've lost count of the times I've had to go back downstairs and make a hot milky drink, which does seem to work but then involves a loo trip at some point.

I also leave a notebook open by the side of the bed. I can write in the dark now, and sometimes I can even read it! But if I suddenly think of something that needs doing I can clear it out of my brain straight away.

Isn't it called talking to yourself? I hadn't thought of that. I could phone my landline from my mobile to remind myself of things I've got to do the next day such as 'dentist tomorrow' .

No it's not 'talking to yourself' Tegan because you're not supposed to answer it yourself when it rings, you let the answer bit kick in..

wanders off muttering to herself