What would you tell someone who lies awake at night with their thoughts racing?

A natural way to answer

I'd suggest not fighting it. The harder you try to sleep, the more wired you get. I find it helps to get up, do something boring and quiet, and let the racing thoughts settle down before trying again. Worrying at 3am rarely gets you anywhere.

Key phrases to use

• brain-dump — to quickly write down everything in your head to clear your mind“I do a brain-dump before bed so I can relax.”
• going round in circles — thinking about the same thing repeatedly without making progress“My mind just keeps going round in circles.”
• settle down — to become calm and quiet after being agitated“Give your mind time to settle down.”
• gets you anywhere — to lead to any useful result or progress“Worrying at night never gets you anywhere.”
• park your worries — to set your worries aside for now and deal with them later“Try to park your worries until the morning.”
• think your way out of — to solve a problem purely by thinking hard about it“You can't think your way out of insomnia.”
• wind down — to gradually relax and let go of tension, usually before sleep“Let your body wind down before bed.”