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Using expressive/personal
writing (sharing experiences, thoughts, feelings, ideas) for journaling can help
people process emotions, thereby, helping to reduce the “mental chatter” that
often interferes with sleep. Reflective writing (exploring the impact of
experiences) can produce a calmer state of mind that is more conducive to
sleep.
A basic
sleep journal or log is an option that can help you and your doctor identify patterns
and hopefully lead to better sleep habits. A sleep journal or log would include
things like hours slept, time taken to fall asleep, exercise and eating
patterns, among other things.
The real
(night) light at the end of the tunnel is research demonstrating that something
as simple as taking five minutes before bedtime to write a specific to-do list
can facilitate falling asleep. The study showed that the more specific the
list, the faster participants fell asleep. Wow!
One-quarter
of adults aged 18 to 79 in Canada report problems with falling or staying
asleep most of or all the time. If you are one of these people, you may want to
consider some type of bedtime journaling.
So, grab a
pencil, pen, marker, piece of chalk or maybe even a quill and start writing.
I’ll be using my colourful Ink-Joy gel pens to make my to-do lists.
• Cupola Corner sells a selection of handmade and handbound journals that would be perfect for the Three-minute Mental Makeover.
#journaling
References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5758411/
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-43-no-5-2023/associations-sleep-duration-sleep-quality-indicators-mental-health-among-youth-and-adults.html
