Overactive brain
I’m an rather energetic person. I always feel the urge to do something! I love exercising…i often feel a strong urge to indulge in exercise. I often have this feeling like i can run miles on end and still not feel tired afterwards! I’ve been exercising allot these last days to make sure i feel tired enough to get some decent sleep, yet im still full of energy.
I’m always full of ideas aswell. I love to create! My hobby is making music. I play the piano, guitar and write original songs. I’m a curious person. I’m always thinking about something that triggers my curiosity…usually something relating to science (physics, biology etc), politics and philosophy. Aside from exercising and making music… since a year ago i really began to enjoy mathematics as a hobby. for me mathematics is like a fun and curious world i go to in my head to explore…which is super exciting when i discover something for myself that i did not know about before.
But all that energy and all that thinking becomes an actual burden when trying to sleep. I can’t seem to shut off my brain even when i want to! Whenever i lay down in bed i often find my mind slipping into something i did during the day. For example, 2 weeks ago i was thinking about a math puzzle i saw online about a 3 by 4 by 5 side length triangle, that had a square inscribed in it…since i lack the formal math education that could help me approach the problem directly…i began to think of creative ways to solve it (this was during day time). But then suddenly at like the middle of the night i began thinking about it again! There i was laying in bed and endlessly mentally drawing and visualizing the problem in my head. The next day i was pleasantly surprised to find out that it had actually worked but, by then i managed to get like only 5 hours of sleep for the night!
The thoughts and ideas often feel intrusive and never ending…it’s like living right next to the train tracks and having a very noisy train pass by that is endlessly long! If it’s not me thinking about something that interests me, it’s something that worries me allot. Tho i have somewhat managed to drown out my worries by completely indulging my self in my hobby’s, it still comes back to haunt in my sleep.
It’s past 9AM now and i’ve slept for about approximately 3 hours!
5 comments
“I’m always full of ideas aswell.”
i have this problem. feeling the need to get up and do it right now. hell i got up in the middle of the night to do a painting once.
have you tried maybe keeping a notebook near you and writing down what you want to do so you can do it in the morning?
i have a memory problem and way more often then not forget what i wanted to do, which also fueled the “f the time, do it now” thing. so maybe the idea isnt as helpful to you, but its an idea
So relatable to me as well! It’s like a strong urge i get to do something i have in mind and i seem to like forget that i have to sleep.
I think it’s an great idea to have a notebook just to write all my ideas and thoughts down. I have actually been thinking about keeping a diary. Very good idea indeed
It’s a great idea, thank you for sharing!
I wish I felt so positively about my manic desires to achieve, ambition is a curse.
Then again, I have the answer at least for mine; chemical restraints and a rigid schedule. My doctor doesn’t prescribe narcotics, so I don’t have to worry about taking too much or too little. It gets to about 9:45 – 10:30 PM, I start taking my pills. I try to get in bed by 11:30, read or watch a bit of light television, put on my sleep mask and most nights I’m out until 8 AM the next day. Some days I get lucky and sleep until 10 or 11 AM.
The reason is simple; once I ended up having a manic episode due to sleep deprivation. It put me in the hospital, and brought me great shame. Now I’m dutiful about self care, because the inside of that hospital is not something I want to see again.
Last night I woke up at 5 AM, thoughts rushing through my head. I made myself a peanut butter sandwich, took some more pills and went back to bed.
I also have a visualization exercise that might help; I imagine myself being sealed into a life support pod, and being capable of lowering myself deeper and deeper underwater, until all the light is gone, imagining the weight of the water slowing my breath and pushing me into the bed.
I might try that visualization exercise! It seems like you can create a scenario in your head that gives your mind peace and thereby make sleeping easier to do.
Thank you for sharing!
I’m not a mental health professional, but this sounds a lot like bipolar mania/hypomania. Try keeping a mood diary for a year or so, and talk to a professional.