Hello Sajjad,

Haven't you answered your question yourself? If your mind is very active, then it leads to difficulty in falling asleep, and poor quality of sleep. The mind needs to feel relaxed at the time of going to sleep. If you keep it very active and then ask it to sleep, you are giving confusing signals to the brain.

Here are some tips for a good night's sleep -

1. First of all, avoid speaking on the phone when you are close to bed time.
2. Gradually decrease your physical activity as you approach bed time. No rigorous exercise for 4-6 hours before, and no moderate exercise for 2-3 hours before sleep (Sexual activity is the only exception, because it leads to a feeling of mental and physical relaxation).
3. In general, avoid mental activity before you retire. For example, watching television, having an animated discussion, speaking on the phone, arguing etc. will make your mind more active (again, an exception is doing that kind of mental activity which makes you bored e.g. work-related things!).
4. In the 5-10 minutes before you sleep, do something that makes you feel calm e.g. some people find that meditating or praying helps get better sleep.
5. In general - try to retire at about the same time every night, but retire only when you are feeling a little drowsy (i.e. don't push yourself to go to sleep), do not use your bed for any activity other than sex or sleeping.
6. If you are lying in bed and unable to sleep, don't think about why you are not getting sleep. Instead, try to focus your mind into other thoughts, for e.g. concentrate on your breathing, or concentrate on relaxing one part of the body after another.

I hope this helps you get better sleep and wake up fresh in the mornings.

Regards,
Dr. Saifuddin Kharawala
MBBS, DPM