Thoughts or comments? Send us a text!
Sleep anxiety can feel like a relentless cycle—you wake in darkness, heart pounding, mind spinning with worries that feel insurmountable at 3 AM. But what if a simple body-focused practice could help break this pattern?
Mary Rothwell shares a powerful technique for those frustrating middle-of-the-night wake-ups when anxiety takes hold. Rather than fighting against racing thoughts directly (which often makes them stronger), she introduces a mindful approach focusing first on physical sensations. By feeling the supportive surface beneath you and imagining warmth slowly traveling up from your feet, you create an anchor that interrupts rumination. This practice works because your brain can't effectively focus on two things simultaneously—when you direct attention to bodily sensations, anxious thoughts begin to recede.
The episode explains how nighttime anxiety connects to our bodies' natural rhythms and hormone fluctuations, particularly melatonin and cortisol. Mary offers practical guidance for releasing tension in common problem areas like the jaw and face, while emphasizing self-compassion through gentle reminders that you're safe and supported. She acknowledges the irrational nature of late-night worries that often seem trivial by daylight, validating this common experience while providing tools to navigate it better. Whether you're dealing with occasional insomnia or chronic sleep struggles, this short but impactful episode delivers a technique you can implement tonight for more peaceful rest. For those wanting deeper sleep support, Mary mentions her comprehensive online program specifically designed for midlife women, available through her website.
Have you tried body-focused techniques to manage sleep anxiety? Leave a review or send Mary a message through the link in the show notes—she'd love to hear which strategies work for you or what sleep topics you'd like covered in future episodes.
Follow me on Facebook and Instagram, and check out my website!
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.