Why reviewing the positive highlights of your life before falling asleep at night is vital!
Reflecting on the positive highlights of your life before sleeping can help you get better sleep, greater happiness, and a healthier immune system. In a 2011 study published in the Journal of applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, it was suggested that writing a journal of positive highlights helped students worry less at bedtime enabling them to sleep longer and better afterward.
Keep worry and pessimism at bay
Just how does thinking about positive highlights of your life have this positive effect on sleep? When you think positively, you are more aware of the good things in your life. With this upbeat and positive outlook, you are able to keep worry and pessimism at bay. It could be something as simple as being thankful for the warm blanket and comfy bed you have. By focusing on the positive highlights, you can look back at what you accomplished during the day with pride. You can be thankful for all you have learned and accomplished.
Clearly, from the study highlighted above, making a list of the things you are grateful for before going to bed is important. It can help you replace negative thoughts and set the tone for a more relaxed sleep. So, if you want a great way to drift into sleep, stop worrying about what needs to be done! Focus on the positive highlights in your life. The mere knowledge that great things have already happened to you is enough to set the expectation for more of the same.
Think more positively
It is, therefore, no surprise that a number of past studies have linked thinking about positive things to greater happiness, satisfaction with life, and optimism for the future. In a 2003 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, it was suggested that thinking about positive highlights of your life has an emotional and interpersonal benefit. The participants in this study reported getting longer and more refreshing sleep after a three-week trial.
In a follow-up study done in 2008 and published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Resources, it was found that people who go to bed after reviewing the positive highlights of their life are likely to report better sleep quality and duration coupled with less sleep latency and daytime dysfunction. Gratitude was related to thinking more positively and, therefore, less negatively at the time of going to bed. The result of this was dosing off faster and sleeping better and longer.
Reviewing the positive highlights of your life before falling asleep at night is rewarding. When you learn to be grateful for throughout the day, you are more likely to have positive thoughts just before going to bed. Instead of focusing on the friend who forgot to call, the co-worker who disagreed with you, the monthly utility bills that are about to be due, you can be thinking of the the wonderful blessings, something kind that you did for someone else, or something kind that someone did for you that brightened your day. If you can make a habit of having these lullaby of positive thoughts, then a peaceful slumber is yours to keep.
Start reviewing the positive highlights of your life tonight! You’ll soon realize the changes!
