Mind chatter late at night

[BrokenAge]

Last summer before my anxiety took a turn for the worst I was sitting in my room thinking about the day. It was late at night and I was drifting off and I thought about how my friend was annoying me the previous day by saying my name. It's like I got it stuck in my head. I kept hearing her voice in my head. It didn't sound like voices it sounded like thougbts. They would be random sounds I heard throughout the day. It only seems to happen when I either think about it or on an anxious night. I was wondering if anyone else had mind chatter? It sometimes freas me out as I worry if that's what hearing voices is like but I usually dismiss this because of the clear distinction between a thought and actual sounds.

[PanchoGoz]

Yes when I am exhausted late at night I often hear voices saying my name from work. or if I've been around my really talkative friend their voice will go round and round. Try not to fear it and instead go towards it. It's part of sleep coming and it can be welcomed. It can also cause you some amusement. The anxiety is making it more of a problem than it is and sensitized nerves cause more edge of sleep odd happenings such as hallucinations and sounds or weird feelings. I've sometimes been shocked into full wakefullness at the realness of a voice in my head. It doesn't happen in the daytime and that's the important thing.

[GingerFish]

I only seem to get this at night and especially if I haven't slept well the day before or had a really stressful or tiring day. Most of the time I can't work out what its being 'said' in my head but there is definitely a chatter going on. I've had it on and off for ages but it still freaks me out and I sleep with my headphones on with a TV show on in the background on my phone to block it out.

[MissyMischief]

Your poor mind is just tired and worn out. Anxiety is to blame. This mind-chatter is totally normal under the circumstances. I know it's hard, but try to just accept it and let it run its course. Give your brain a rest. You are definitely NOT hearing voices or going crazy.

[BrokenAge]

Your poor mind is just tired and worn out. Anxiety is to blame. This mind-chatter is totally normal under the circumstances. I know it's hard, but try to just accept it and let it run its course. Give your brain a rest. You are definitely NOT hearing voices or going crazy.

yeah it doesn't bother me because I know what it is. It happens sometimes during the day but really only when I think about it.

[MyNameIsTerry]

We do get a lot of racing thoughts, repeating thoughts, etc.

Intrusive thoughts can occur in forms such as images, voices (perceived, not auditory), etc.

Something to also understand is Hypnagogia and Hypnopompia. Hypnagogia covers the state when we are falling asleep and within the first two hours of sleep. Hypnopompia covers the waking state. These are perfectly normal states the mind goes through but they do have a lot of known phenomena. These phenomena can appear to be mimicking some of the more serious mental health considers some people worry about e.g. Schizophrenia.

People tend not to know about these normal mind states and why it is possible to have visual or auditory hallucinations and many other experiences during them so it's worth understanding. For instance, one known phenomena is "Tetris Effect" which may account for what you have experienced when sleepy. With this your mind is acting out things from the day such as work tasks so perhaps it could latch onto an event such as the one you described? I'm not sure, but it's something to consider. It can feel quite real too given some examples have been how people have actually felt the objects involved e.g. snow.

These states are not connected to anxiety in that the disorders cause them, since they are natural states which means anyone can have them, and they do, but anxiety is known to intensify them.

[BrokenAge]

What seems to worry me is that this can happen at anytime. I get random mind chatter, I've done some Google search and like I said it said it can be common and it's just random thoughts. They can be negative or the can be things you've heard over the day.

[PanchoGoz]

Anxiety can cause us to zoom in on our symptoms, perhaps it is zooming in on a mind process that would be otherwise deemed normal?
The mind can also do funny things when under a lot of stress, I've had outbursts of vocal sounds or senseless phrases coming into my head in the daytime.