Waking Up Early With Your Mind Racing? This Is Why

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Waking up early with your mind racing and your brain goes straight to that one thing you haven't finished.

[00:00:07]>> [music] >> When something isn't finished, your brain keeps it active. This is called the Zeigarnik effect. That keeps your stress response slightly switched on, your HPA axis. [music] So you get small increases in alerting hormones like cortisol. Not enough to fully wake you, but enough to make your sleep lighter.

[00:00:26]And in the early morning, your body naturally releases more cortisol. So now you've got lighter [music] sleep, a more alert brain, and something unfinished and still active. That's why your attention goes straight to it. [music] So don't try to solve it at 4:00 a.m.

[00:00:41]I'll show you what to do instead.