230. Overthinking at 3 AM? Transform Your Nights with These Tips

Links for today’s episode:

Download Your Free Evening Windown Checklist:

Check out the offer:  https://kathieowen.thrivecart.com/sleep-nervous-system-reset/

Blog Post for today’s episode: https://www.kathieowen.com/blog/high-achiever-3am-insomnia-sleep-solutions

Book a 15-minute quick call with Kathie: https://tidycal.com/kathie-owen/top-workplace-15minutes

Master Your Evening: Overcome 3AM Wake-Ups and Sleep Like a Rock

In this episode, Kathie Owen, holistic wellness coach and team consultant, tackles the common issue of waking up at 3:00 AM with a racing mind. 

She discusses why this happens, especially for high achievers, and introduces a simple six-step evening wind-down checklist to help close mental loops and ensure a restful night's sleep. Kathie shares her personal experience with sleep struggles and emphasizes the importance of an evening routine for better leadership and overall well-being. 


Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:13 The 3 AM Wake-Up Call
01:09 Understanding Mental Closure
04:00 The Evening Wind Down Checklist
04:17 Steps to Better Sleep
07:45 Additional Resources and Offers
09:28 Conclusion and Call to Action

Transcript

0:00

Hey friends. Welcome back to the channel. If you're new here. My name is Kathie Owen, holistic wellness coach and team consultant, and someone who helps high achieving leaders thrive. One heart at a time. Today we're diving into something I hear all the time from my friends and clients. Hey Kathie, I'm waking up at 3:00 AM and I cannot turn my brain off. What is wrong with me? The short answer, nothing. You're not broken, but your brain is waving a flag and we're gonna talk about that today. And what is it trying to tell you? You are listening to Kathie's Coaching podcast. I'm your host, Kathie Owen. If you've tried melatonin weighted blankets, wine or meditation apps, but you're still tossing and turning or popping awake in the middle of the night. This episode is for you. We're gonna unpack the real reason this happens, why high achievers are especially prone to it, and the simple evening shift that helps you sleep like a rock. I wanna start with a bold statement. You don't need more melatonin. You need mental closure. Here's what I mean. Your brain is this incredible problem solving machine, and during the day, especially for high achievers like you, it's on fire. You're solving big problems. You're making decisions that impact teams and revenue. You're keeping plates spinning at work and at home. You're holding space for everyone, but often not yourself. Every one of those moments creates what I call an open loop, an unfinished mental tab, just like your browser with 47 windows open at night. Your body is trying to power down, but your brain is still spinning. Especially at 3:00 AM when your prefrontal cortex goes offline and your emotional brain, the limbic system wakes up. That's when the mental gremlins show up. Whispering, did you follow up with the vp? What if the deal doesn't close? Should I rethink that strategy? I pitched. Or this one from a friend of mine I heard last week, my God, my assistant is on maternity leave for six months. What if I mess something up? Now? I'll be honest with you, I don't struggle with sleep anymore. In fact, I sleep like a rock. I love my sleep, but that wasn't always the case. There was a season in my life after a traumatic event where my anxiety was at an all time high. That's the only time I can remember struggling with sleep and what saved me. It wasn't a pill and it wasn't forcing myself to relax. It was my evening routine. My flow, my ability to process the day and close those loops. Let's talk about why this actually matters. Waking up in the middle of the night isn't just annoying. It's disrupted to your focus, your mood, your leadership, and your long-term health. Here's what I see in my executive clients who don't sleep well. They're reactive instead of responsive. They lose their edge, not because they're smart, but because they're mentally overloaded. They feel disconnected from themselves, their families, and their teams. And the worst part, they think it's normal to operate this way, but it's not. You're just in leadership limbo, still holding the weight of the day, even in your sleep. This is where my favorite thing comes in the evening, wind down checklist. This is not a luxury. This is your leadership protocol because how you're end your day determines how well you lead tomorrow. Let me walk you through the six steps in the checklist I created for my clients. Close the loops is step number one. Write down three things still open in your mind. Put a name plus a time on when you'll handle them tomorrow. Number two, breathe and reset. Try box breathing. Breathe in for four seconds. Hold at the top for four seconds and breathe out for six seconds. Bonus points if you float. What is floating? Kathie? Floating is a way we deal with anxiety. When anxiety arises, you just float. You just vision floating on a river, on a cloud, whatever you see as floating, and you practice the deep breathing. This put your nervous system on calm, on calm, not anxiety. If you want some more information about floating, I'll be happy to talk about it. Just comment the word, float in the comments below, and I will tell, give a do a video on floating'cause it's very helpful. Step number three, shut down your technology. Turn those devices off by 9:00 PM Honestly, I think earlier is better, but if it has to be nine or even 10, no shame, no condemnation. Turn those lights off. Use red light filters. And this isn't just about light. It's about not letting the outside world rinse space in your nervous system before bed. I can't tell you how many of my clients have fallen to sleep with their phones in their hand scrolling. No, don't do that. That is so bad for your brain. And if that's something that you enjoy doing, fine, do it. But please try to eliminate it or try to cut back on it. Number four. Name the feeling. Just say, today I felt, fill in the blank. That's it. High achievers, forget to process feelings. This step is everything. Process those feelings. Name those feelings. Name those emotions, and don't forget to process them. Number five, visualize tomorrow. As done. Picture yourself handling everything with calm confidence. It primes your brain for a rest, I'm just saying. And number six, anchor with a ritual. I love anchors. So we're gonna anchor all of this checklist with a ritual. It could be herbal tea. Could be cozy socks, a candle, your skincare routine. Create a signal that the day is closed, and guess what? This takes less than 10 minutes, but the ripple effect is huge. Don't believe me. Just try it. Try it for one week. By the way, I created a free printable version of this checklist, and it's not just the checklist. It's got more details in it and steps and actions you can take, including new ideas. Yeah, you can go download that, there's a link in the description and show notes below. And if you wanna go deeper, if you want help creating a personal wind down flow based on your energy, your leadership style, and your nervous system, I'm offering a sleep and nervous system reset for just$147, it's usually$400. In this session, we'll map out what's really keeping you up at night, your personal triggers, mental, emotional, and physical. A custom routine that actually works for you and your brain. Tools you can use during the day to prevent the 3:00 AM spike. Click a link in the show notes in the episode below to learn more about this offer. I want you to remember this. You don't need to push harder. You need to recover smarter. Your next level of clarity, leadership, and performance doesn't come from overthinking at 3:00 AM It comes from mastering your evening, closing those loops and showing your nervous system. I've got you. You can lead powerfully and sleep peacefully. Trust me, I do. If you found today's video helpful, give it a thumbs up. Subscribe to my channel and share this with the higher performer in your life who needs it. Comment below. What's one thing you're gonna change today about your evening routine starting tonight? Don't forget to download your evening wind down checklist. It's free. Links are in the show notes and description below. Alright, that's my episode for today. I trust that you found it helpful. If you know someone who can benefit from this, please share with them and until next time, I will see you next time. Peace out and namaste.