Imagine waking up at some point in the middle of the night. Perhaps, you heard a noise or one of the kids woke up. It could be the dog jumped off the bed or our partner was snoring. It doesn’t matter what wakes you up, you are now awake (or at least it feels like you are awake) and your mind is starting to fill-up with the “what if’s”.  “What if my boss didn’t cc me on that email because he is trying to sabotage my upcoming performance review?” “What if that incident on the bus with my son makes the entire neighborhood see him as a troublemaker and all the moms turn against me?” “What if that check for the car payment goes through before my direct deposit and the car company decides to repossess my car for non-payment?” You name it, the mind can come up with horrible scenarios that are terrifying at 2am. Try as you might, the images and catastrophic outcomes won’t go away. Your body gets tense, your heart begins to beat, and you are now unable to get back to sleep. However, by morning’s light, you see these horrific scenarios as odd or even silly. You wonder why you were “so worked up” and now at 8am, and you can come up with reasonable solutions that eliminates the terror you felt the night before. Why does this happen?

To understand this situation, we must spend a moment understanding the brain. Let’s divide the brain into two parts: the higher brain and the lower brain (just for discussion). The lower brain is often called the reptilian brain. Its basic function is for survival and it is the oldest part of the brain. It regulates heart rate, breathing and other bodily functions. It is also where the “fight or flee” response resides. Because of its responsibilities, it never sleeps. But, the higher brain, where rational thought occurs, needs rest to keep it working properly. So, at 2am the only part of your brain that is truly awake is the reptilian brain. It is keeping watch for anything that might pose a threat. The lower brain is not sophisticated enough to discern between a real physical threat and a psychological threat, so any potential threat is viewed as life-threatening. Since the lower brain can’t think rationally, every concerning situation gets elevated to its most extreme. By morning when your higher brain is awake, those concerning situations return to a more normal level of concern and the ability to solve problems kicks in.

The next time you wake up at 2am and the “what ifs” kick in, remember you aren’t really “awake” and to do your best to recognize that the best time to figure out what to do with these scenarios is to wait till morning. Sometimes just reassuring yourself that its okay to calm down, relax your body, and dismiss the “worse-case scenario” as just a tired brain can go a long way.