Want Better Sleep? Make A List

Want to get better sleep? Instead of reaching for the remote, reach for a pen and paper. A new study finds jotting down your to-do list can actually help you fall asleep.

Researchers suggest that rather than engaging in a “demanding activity” or something that would disrupt snoozing, like watching TV or playing video games, we spend five to 10 minutes writing out a to-do list on paper. Engaging our brains with a list can make sleep easier. Study authors explain, “Fully focusing on a task, problem or activity helps to distract the brain.” And that helps us get to sleep.

Previous research backs this up, with one study finding that spending five minutes to write down upcoming tasks before going to bed helps “offload” the worried thoughts that tend to keep us up at night. Not only did it help people fall asleep faster, study authors found the more specific people were with their to-do list, the faster they fell asleep.

Source: Best Life Online