Sleep better tip #2

Sleep Stopper #2

Problem:
Lying in bed mentally planning tomorrow's to-do list 

Solution: 
Do a data dump after dinner

At least two hours before bedtime, write out tomorrow's to-do list and jot down a possible solution next to each item. "The only time most of us have a moment to ourselves is when we're trying to fall asleep," says Mark Mahowald, M.D., a neurologist and director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center. And we typically don't spend it calmly recalling last summer's vacation; we use it to worry about unfinished business, he says. Cycling through your thoughts earlier in the evening will desensitize you to them later on. "If you start thinking about a task on the list when you're trying to fall asleep, remind yourself that you have a plan," Arand says.