Journaling Before Bed Can Boost Your Rest and Mental Health: Learn More About Its Benefits

It’s not surprising that your daily habits impact your well-being. And one of the best things you can do is keep a journal. Writing your thoughts down can be cathartic and with plenty of benefits of journaling, you may find yourself grabbing a pen more often than you’d think. Curious to see how seeing your emotions on a page can help your health. Keep reading to see personal success stories and how a journal can also help with stress, anxiety and trauma resilience.

Journaling helps with sleep

Night after night, Vicki O’Neill lay awake staring at the ceiling for hours on end…until she discovered the creative trick that helped her release the anxious thoughts that were keeping her up

Getting ready for bed, Vicki O’Neill felt her pulse quicken. Please, let me get some sleep tonight, she prayed. But as usual, she just couldn’t quiet her mind and barely slept.

Although Vicki had lived with anxiety for years, she’d always been able to maintain enough control of her nerves to be able to sleep most nights. Then a job change in June 2021 forced Vicki to move out of state and kicked her anxiety into a higher gear.

During the day, Vicki frequently found herself stressing about relocating and starting over, then despite feeling exhausted, she was unable to stop her anxious thoughts at night and had difficulty falling and staying asleep. Exhaustion consumed Vicki, who often struggled to focus on conversations and complete tasks at home and work.

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She hesitated to talk to her doctor, fearing sounding like a complainer or that she’d be told it’s all in her head. Yet Vicki knew she couldn’t go on living this way and began searching for different ways to calm her anxiety.

Preferring holistic treatments, Vicki experimented with massage and brisk evening walks, which didn’t help. Occasionally, she drank a glass of red wine before bedtime, which helped, but Vicki knew wasn’t a long-term solution. So, she searched on and came across research indicating journaling can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by releasing pent-up feelings and negative thoughts, which helps quiet the mind.

With nothing to lose, Vicki decided to give journaling a try.

Peace of mind

Once a day, an hour or so before going to bed, Vicki began writing down thoughts that were circling in her mind and was surprised to discover she almost instantly felt her anxiety lessen. She also discovered that the physical act of writing itself felt relaxing and therapeutic.

Hopeful, Vicki also started a gratitude section to her journal, writing down three things she was grateful for that day. She also journaled throughout the day, jotting down her feelings, including dreams and goals, fears and so on, whenever she felt the first twinges of anxiety. Instantly, she felt “lighter” and her mind felt more relaxed.

After a month or two, Vicki noticed she wasn’t waking in the middle of the night. And after about six months, she was consistently sleeping through the night—and has been since. “I’m so thankful I found something easy and affordable to break the anxiety/insomnia cycle I was trapped in,” says the 54-year-old. “I’m no longer stumbling my way through life, unable to concentrate. Instead, thanks to journaling, I can enjoy my days because I’m able to sleep well at night!” —Gina Roberts-Grey

Other health benefits of keeping a journal

Besides a better night’s rest, writing in a journal also has other health benefits. Utilizing writing is good for both your emotional and physical health. Here, more benefits of journaling.

Journaling boosts immunity

Chronic stress can make the immune system falter by reducing levels of infection-fighting cells. But writing about life events can lower levels of stress hormones so the body can better fight back against infections. Also, a study from the journal JMIR Mental Health suggests that positive affect journaling can calm those who are distressed and increase overall wellbeing.

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Using a journal speeds slimming

Women who spent 15 minutes daily writing down their most important values and beliefs shed 3½ pounds in 10 weeks without dieting, since the practice helps alleviate cravings caused by stress. “Stressful life events often precede anxiety and mood disorders], and the accompanying psychological strain associated with the diagnosis of, and living with a major medical illness places these patients at risk for comorbidity and worse health outcomes overall,” note researchers from the study in JMIR Mental Health .

Writing events in a journal sharpens memory

A 2019 study from the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice shows that expressive writing could have an impact on trauma resilience. Additionally, reflecting on your emotions during an event and writing them down helps the brain create a cohesive narrative of what happened and your feelings, which improves memory recall and comprehension.

For more ways to boost your health

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This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan .