If counting sheep doesn’t work, try writing a to-do list to nod off

WRITING a to-do list can help you to fall asleep, neuroscientists have found.

They say noting down ten tasks you need to achieve over the next few days can help you nod off up to 15 minutes faster.

That is because worrying about unfinished work and looming deadlines causes brain activity which makes it hard to fall asleep. Writing a to-do list eases that anxiety, it is believed, by ‘offloading’ nagging thoughts about the next day.

Dr Michael Scullin, whose research at Baylor University in Texas is published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, said: ‘Putting down simply that you have things to do is way too broad.

‘But writing that you have to return a call, pick up groceries, get milk or petrol – this specificity helps to offload all those things unconsciously ruminating around in your head.’