Every night between 2am and 4am my brain decides it is the perfect time to replay every embarrassing thing I have ever said, every decision I could have made differently, and every problem that has no solution tonight.
I've tried the usual things. No screens after 10pm. Chamomile tea. Writing in a journal before bed. Sleep podcasts. White noise. I fall asleep fine — it's the 3am wake-up that gets me, and once that spiral starts I genuinely cannot stop it.
The frustrating thing is I'm a reasonably logical person in the daytime. I can look at a problem and think about it clearly. But at 3am every small thing becomes evidence that something is fundamentally wrong with my life, my choices, and me as a person.
Is this anxiety? Is this just a bad habit my brain has formed? My therapist calls it "hyperarousal" and we're working on it but the sessions are fortnightly and the nights are every night.
What has actually helped people switch off at 3am when the thoughts have already started?