A commonly heard challenge from high Golds and Greens is that they may be really tired but just can’t fall asleep.
For Greens, there may be so many things to ponder that they really wish there was a pause button for their mind. After a perfectly fine day, when their head hits the pillow, their brain decides it’d be a great time to re-visit something from five years ago…in vivid detail!
For Golds, it’s the thoughts of what isn’t finished and how much of it is pilled on tomorrow’s to-do list already. It’s hard to relax in that state. Plus if they think of something that needs to be dealt with in the morning, many will get up and make a note of it. Sounds silly? Not at all, since it gives their mind permission to let go of it. That’s the reason for their to-do lists.
Bad sleepers or insomniacs are often bright and intelligent people. With so much on their minds, their brain starts using sleep time to catch up, analyze, file, sort, plan and worse: second-guess and worry.
Just when the body needs rest the most, the brain steps on the gas pedal instead. After midnight is not when anyone does their best thinking.
In the words of filmmaker Josh Freed in an interview to MacLean’s magazine: “The guy who takes over my head at four AM is a moron. He stays awake wondering about the stove being left on, the unpaid Visa bill, and 30 minutes later he is convinced he will fail at everything on his agenda the next morning, will be fired, or have a heart attack.”