We've all been there; nearly collapsing with exhaustion after a hectic day running around after the kids (and everything else), yet when we come to the time to blissfully enter the land of nod, sleep frustratingly eludes us.

 

We like awake growing more frustrated - and tired - as the hours tick by, wondering what on earth we can do to break the vicious cycle.

 

The good news is, doing something straightforward could mean that you sleep more soundly at night.

 

 

 According to a small study published in the January issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology, participants who took five minutes to write out a to-do list before bed fell asleep more quickly than participants who wrote about tasks they had already completed.

 

So, do you need to do two separate school-runs tomorrow? Have your doctors' appointment? Schedule that important meeting you've been putting off?

 

Write it all down before your slumber, and you'll feel more relaxed and therefore, sleep better, according to the study.  

 

"We live in a 24/7 culture in which our to-do lists seem to be constantly growing and causing us to worry about unfinished tasks at bedtime," lead study author Michael Scullin.

 The key, is in mentally "offloading" responsibilities before bedtime, theoretically freeing the mind for sound sleeping.  

 

The researchers found that the participants who wrote to-do lists fell asleep an average of nine minutes faster than those who wrote about already-accomplished tasks.

 

So, write that list, sleep soundly and repeat whenever you feel the worry take hold.

 

We can't promise the kids won't wake you though (sorry).

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