If you find yourself lying awake at night with ruminating thoughts running through your head, the Brain Dump may be a good fit for you. The Brain Dump focuses on having a piece of paper, a journal, or your phone nearby (though using your phone is less ideal due to blue light exposure) so you can jot down any thoughts that may be keeping you awake.
How it works:
The Brain Dump works by getting the thoughts out of your head and onto paper. This way, they have a safe place to land, and you can return to them later if needed. It helps prevent you from dwelling on them or continuously thinking about them when you’re trying to fall asleep.
This technique can be helpful both when first falling asleep and if you wake up in the middle of the night with something on your mind. Try writing it down to reassure yourself you can get back to it tomorrow.
A little science behind it:
Research shows that writing things down can help reduce cognitive load or the mental energy we use to keep track of tasks, worries, and ideas. When you physically transfer thoughts from your mind onto paper, your brain feels a sense of completion, making it easier to relax. A 2018 study published in Journal of Experimental Psychology found that people who spent just five minutes writing a to-do list before bed fell asleep significantly faster than those who didn’t. It’s like telling your brain, “You don’t have to hold onto this right now, it’s safe, and you can come back to it later.”
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