Module 8 · Sleep & recovery · Emerging evidence

When your mind won’t switch off

Stress and sleep feed each other. Ways to put the day down before bed.

7 min read · Level: Practising · Free — no account needed to read

The idea

Stress and sleep feed each other. Worries, to-do lists and replayed conversations often show up exactly when you lie down, because it is the first quiet moment of the day. A busy mind keeps the body alert, and lying awake worrying about not sleeping adds another layer.

Several simple approaches help. One study found that writing a specific to-do list for the next few days before bed helped people fall asleep faster than writing about what they had already done. Setting aside time earlier in the evening to deal with worries — so they are not waiting for you at bedtime — also helps.

If you are lying awake with a racing mind, getting up for a while to do something calm, or practising slow breathing or a body scan, often works better than trying hard to sleep.

Why it works

A racing mind is one of the most common reasons people can’t sleep. Giving worries somewhere to go before bed makes it easier to let them go at bedtime.

A real example

The situation

Each night, Nguyen lies awake running through everything he must do tomorrow.

What happened

He starts writing a detailed list for the next day before his wind-down routine. When a thought comes at bedtime, he tells himself, “It’s on the list.” He starts falling asleep sooner.

The takeaway

The list held his tasks, so his mind didn’t have to.

Use this when you are…

• your mind races when you lie down
• you plan or worry in bed
• stress is keeping you awake

Common mistakes

• Trying to force your mind to be quiet.
• Dealing with stressful matters right before bed.
• Lying in bed awake for long periods, getting more frustrated.

What the evidence says

Emerging evidence: Early or mixed research looks promising, but it is too soon to be confident. Treat it as worth trying, not proven.

Research on bedtime to-do lists and on setting aside earlier worry time is promising but limited. Relaxation techniques and CBT for insomnia, which address a racing mind, have stronger evidence.

Where this comes from: Sleep and circadian research; Worry and anxiety research.

Fields that study this: Sleep science, Clinical psychology.

Try it now: Empty your head before bed

1. An hour before bed, write tomorrow’s to-do list in detail.
2. Add any worry you want to deal with, and when you will deal with it.
3. Close the notebook and start your wind-down.

Practise with a guided technique

• Bedtime to-do download — (5 min · Emerging evidence)
• Worry time — (15 min · Moderate evidence)
• Body scan — (8–10 min · Moderate evidence)

Questions to think about

• What usually keeps your mind busy at bedtime?
• Where could those thoughts go before you lie down?

Try this today

Write tomorrow’s to-do list tonight before your wind-down.

Afterwards, ask yourself

Did writing things down help your mind settle at bedtime?

Words in this lesson

• Worry time — A set daily slot for dealing with worries, so that at other times they can be noted and postponed.