Do this 5-Minute Activity before you go to bed to have a full night of healthy sleep

My high school years were a nightmare because of my insomnia. Although I could sleep through an earthquake, falling asleep was a difficult process. Perhaps it was my hormones, teenage anxiety, or the fact that I used Pacific Time before I moved to California. I don’t know why, but bedtime was often spent awake, trying desperately to fall asleep, and rarely getting more than 4 to 5 hours sleep each night.

It was a vicious, torturous cycle. Because I was aware that I struggled to fall asleep, I would become anxious about going to bed. It was not a common problem for almost half of the population.

Over time, I was able to regain control over my sleep schedule and now I fall asleep in under 15 minutes most nights. Although many things have changed in my life since then, one thing that had an amazingly positive impact on my ability to fall asleep was the fact that I began writing to-do list every night before bed. Here are the things I do to fall asleep and stay asleep every night. For more tips on falling asleep, I talked to a sleep expert.

To help you fall asleep, create a list of things to do

I had no idea that making nightly to do lists would help me sleep. I simply wanted to be able to track my priorities and improve my productivity each day. Each night, before I went to bed, I would list three things that I wanted to accomplish the next day. I would also record one positive thing that occurred during the day, regardless of how small. It takes me about 5 minutes to complete the entire process.

Later, I discovered that clearing your mind can help you fall asleep faster. A study done by Emory and Baylor universities found that making a list with upcoming tasks can help you fall asleep quicker.

Baylor and Emory studied people who kept a journal before going to bed. They compared their journals with those who created a to-do lists of tasks they had to complete over the next few days. Study results showed that people fell asleep faster if they wrote to-do lists than they did if they wrote about completed activities.

Researchers believe that writing down to-do list helps to reduce anxiety and stress about future events. Writing down things can help you to dump your worries onto the page.

Here are some more ways to get better night sleep

For more information on how to get a good nights sleep, Dr. Saroja Shripathi, Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s sleep medicine chair, was available. According to Dr. Saroja Sripathi, good sleep depends on three things: how much sleep you get, how long it takes and when you get it. Focusing on sleep hygiene will help you maximize each of these.

How well you sleep at night will depend on the decisions you make throughout the day, such as when and what we drink, how many we eat and how much.

Sripathi offers research-backed suggestions for improving your sleeping quality if you are having trouble falling asleep at night.

1. Avoid electronic screens at least 30 minutes before you go to bed.
2. Avoid alcohol and caffeine before you go to bed. Although it might help you fall asleep faster, it can cause sleep problems.
3. Establish a routine that signals to your body that it is time for bed.
4. You should go to bed and get up at the exact same time each night.
5. You can save your bed for sleep and sexual pleasure. Keep your reading, snacking, and watching in other areas of the house.
6. Instead of scrolling through social media sites or scrolling through the news, you can listen to podcasts and guided meditations to help you wind down.

If these methods don’t work and you still have trouble sleeping, it may be time to get professional help. Any potential problems can be diagnosed and treated by your doctor.

What are the benefits of better sleeping?

It can be difficult to get enough sleep. How important is to sleep well?

Sripathi explained to me that sleep has more impact than how well-rested you feel the next morning. Sripathi said that sleep is a key factor in our overall health and well-being.

I was shocked to learn about the positive effects of sleep on our lives when I heard about their benefits. These are some of the things Sripathi stated that sleep has an impact on:

1. Good sleep can improve mood. People with anxiety and depression often complain about their sleep.
2. Our judgement: Better quality sleep can recharge our brains and help us make better decisions. We are more able to make better decisions and work faster.
3. Our memory: This is a call to all college students. Pulling all-nighters while you study is counterproductive. Because our brains need to rest to consolidate the information we have learned throughout the day, it’s not possible to learn as much during sleep.
4. Our immune system: Good sleep can improve our health. While we sleep, our bodies scan for illnesses. A good night’s sleep can help you avoid heart disease.
5. Our bodies: Sleep is essential for children’s development. Children need 18 hours of sleep per night for their newborns, which is more than adults.
6. You can help your body sleep better by creating a positive sleep environment and developing healthy sleep habits. It was helpful to make a list of things I needed to do the next day. Since then, I have been sleeping much better.

You can learn more about sleeping by reading our research on the best positions for sleep, what to eat for better sleep, and how to fix a bad sleep routine.