As unusual as it may seem at first putting down on paper what awaits you the next day can be a tool for limiting sleepless nights This is not a myth or assumption A study published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology has shown that writing to do lists helped the participants fall asleep faster
If you are curious about how writing about your upcoming tasks can affect your sleep quality keep reading Here are the 4 key reasons why to do lists can put you to sleep
1 Offload Your Mind
How many times have you lied in bed at night troubled by what you have to do tomorrow Before we set off to the land of dreams we often do a mental check of our responsibilities for the next day The reason why this happens is that we try to assure that we dont forget anything
To do lists can take away this burden of listing through your obligations in your mind That burden can be transferred onto paper The fact that youve created a written reminder for tomorrow will free your mind
Michael Scullin and one of the authors of the previously mentioned study and the director of Baylors Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory explained the power of to do lists
We live in a 247 culture in which our to do lists seem to be constantly growing and causing us to worry about unfinished tasks at bedtime Most people just cycle through their to do lists in their heads and so we wanted to explore whether the act of writing them down could counteract nighttime difficulties with falling asleep
Thinking about what you have to do tomorrow can put your mind in a running wheel A certain way to remove this sleeping obstacle is to take a pen and paper and start writing
2 Get Rid of Stress and Anxiety
Writing to do lists can help you relieve both anxiety and stress If you cant shake off the accumulated stress give to do lists a chance
The connection between mental health and writing is proven a long time ago The simple act of writing is a sort of mindfulness exercise As you write you must focus on the task at hand blocking out all the outside distractions and loud thoughts
Being present and putting mental effort into creating a to do list can help with stress and anxiety Not to mention that the mindfulness aspect of writing teamed up with offloading your mind can be a magical duo
3 Build a Nighttime Routine
Routines benefit our mental and physical health They eliminate uncertainty save our energy and implement a sense of structure in our lives However you must imbed good habits in a routine for it to be beneficial One of those good habits can be writing to do lists
If your current nighttime routine consists of endlessly scrolling through your social media feed consider making a change Switch that up for to do lists
With its beneficial qualities to do lists can ensure that you dont do anything that lessens your sleep quality right before bed
Whats more your mind and body will get used to the habit of going to sleep after writing Thus with time you will be able to fall asleep faster When the list is finished your mind will automatically prepare for the next task at hand which is relaxing and sleeping
4 Feel More In Control
One of the most famous characteristics of to do lists is getting organized The overview of your responsibilities allows you to prioritize and plan how youll handle them When you successfully manage your time you will feel more accomplished That feeling of accomplishment and security will help you sleep more profoundly
Lets take for example a college student who needs to prepare for college admission If he starts thinking about how he must contact admission services help tomorrow study ask for a letter of recommendation and so on he will feel overwhelmed However jotting all of this down will give him control He will have a clear plan which eliminates insecurity
When you overthink about how youll manage it all you wont be able to fall asleep Even if you do your sleep quality will be disrupted by the built up tensions
To do lists can be your solution to this issue They will give you a sense of control making you more relaxed and less stressed
Tips for Writing To Do Lists
If writing to do lists is a novelty to you no worries It is a simple activity that you can get used to in no time
To get you started here are a few tips that will help you write to do lists effectively
● Use pen and paper
There are many great to do list apps However its better to keep it old school The reason is that the blue light from the phone suppresses the release of melatonin This is a hormone that makes you feel sleepy So staring at the phone when trying to sleep can have negative consequences
A more suitable option for writing to do lists at nighttime is using pen and paper Having a journal or notebook that showcases your past daily accomplishment can also be a great self confidence booster
● Take it one day at a time
Try to limit your plans to the following day If you start making long term to do lists you can get carried away While you are coming up with future goals your thoughts can take a wrong turn and prolong this bedtime routine
The best approach to writing to do lists that aid your sleeping habit is to keep them focused on the next day There is only so much you can do in a day so the writing process wont take much of your time
● Be specific
Vaguely referring to your responsibilities wont be very helpful Your mind will still be burdened with the details The only way to make to do lists effective is to address specifics
Instead of writing do chores break it down to objectives such as declutter the living room clean the fridge etc The more specific the objectives are in control youll feel Every time you cross an item from the list youll gain a feeling of accomplishment
● Keep it real
You want to be realistic when writing to do lists Otherwise you can only start stressing even more about how youll do it all
Objectively assess what you can finish in a day If you cant manage it all accept that you need to adapt to the situation The fact that you are at peace with what you can and cant do will also teach you to have patience and stress less
Final Thoughts
Something simple and easy as writing to do lists can completely shift your sleep quality When you think about with so many positive aspects of to do lists you have nothing to lose Test out how writing down your obligations affects your sleep You can be on a path to a final solution for all that tossing and turning You can also keep a sleep diary
What is a Sleep Diary
A sleep diary is a record of a patients sleep patterns and habits that can be extremely useful in helping doctors make a diagnosis of a sleep disorder and better determine if a sleep study should be prescribed
Over the course of at least two weeks patients record information such asWhat time the patient went to bed
The amount of time it took to fall asleep
What time the patient left the bed in the morning
Number of times patient awoke during the night
How refreshing overall sleep was
What may have disturbed the patients sleep breathing troubles leg movements insomnia etc
Number of caffeinated beverages consumed throughout the day
Number of alcoholic beverages consumed throughout the day
Medications taken during the day
Time spend exercising
Activities performed within an hour of bed
You can get a free copy of a sleep diary by clicking the link below
