The One Habit Well-Rested People Use To Fall Asleep In Minutes
It's time to start leaving a pen and paper at your bedside.
Pormezz | Shutterstock Adequate sleep is incredibly important for a healthy body and mind, yet it's not always easy to achieve. In fact, about 40% of American adults report difficulty falling asleep at least a few times each month.
Thankfully, a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology may have found the solution. The 2017 study posited that employing one simple habit before bed can help you fall asleep much more quickly.
The study found that writing a to-do list at bedtime helps well-rested people fall asleep in minutes.
Researchers had 57 young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 complete a five-minute writing assignment. Some participants were instructed to list tasks they needed to remember to complete in the next few days, while others were told to write about tasks they had already completed. Then they conducted an overnight sleep study.
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"Participants in the to-do list condition fell asleep significantly faster than those in the completed-list condition," they noted. "The more specifically participants wrote their to-do list, the faster they subsequently fell asleep."
They concluded that writing a to-do list at bedtime can help you to fall asleep quicker.
The awareness of unfinished tasks often makes it difficult to fall asleep.
"Traditionally, sleep research and clinical practice have focused on bedtime rumination about past events, but bedtime worry about future events may be at least as important," the researchers wrote. "One potential stressor is knowing that one has incomplete tasks, that is, items left on the to-do list."
That's why, they added, people report more difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the work week. They start thinking about all that needs to get done in the week ahead and become so anxious and distracted that they struggle to get any real rest.
It's not enough to think about your to-do list while lying in bed — you need to write it down.
Mentally ruminating on what needs to get done will keep you awake, but organizing your to-do list on paper can reduce stress and ease your mind. Essentially you offload your thoughts, allowing for a restful night’s sleep.
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In a blog post, Sleep Number shared a few helpful tips to write the most effective to-do list possible. They, like the researchers of the study, encouraged specificity. They also suggested including actionable and achievable items, as it makes it more likely that you will actually accomplish the tasks.
"Writing 'finish the project' or 'network more' is vague and makes it tough to see the finish line," they pointed out. "But 'add links to presentation' or 'send three emails to potential clients?' Now you know what you're working toward."
They further suggested focusing only on tasks that need to get done the next day — not the next week, month, or year. Tackling too long of a period can lead to feelings of overwhelm.
So, tonight, before bed, grab a pen and paper and write a to-do list. Be specific about what needs to get done, then lay your head on your pillow and catch some Zs.
Mina Rose Morales is a writer and photojournalist with a degree in journalism. She covers a wide range of topics, including psychology, self-help, relationships, and the human experience.