Sleep

A new strategy for falling sleep

Sleep can impact many aspects of mental health (1).  You are not alone in struggling to fall asleep because your mind won’t stop racing. About 75% of college students report getting less than 8 hours of sleep on average on weeknights over the last 2 weeks according to the Fall 2024 ACHA-NCHA IIIb Reference Group survey of 33,763 college students across 48 institutions (2).

A fascinating study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology looked at the impact of writing a to do list on sleep (3).

What was the study? (3)

A randomized controlled trial with 57 healthy young adults aged 18–30. (3).

Participants were assigned to one of two groups: one wrote a to-do list of tasks they needed to complete in the next few days, while the other wrote a completed activity list of tasks they had already finished (3).

Each person wrote for five minutes before going to bed in a sleep lab, where their sleep was monitored using polysomnography (a fancy term for detailed sleep tracking) (3).

What were the results? (3)

  • The group that wrote to-do lists fell asleep significantly faster than those who wrote about completed tasks.
  • Interestingly, the more detailed the to-do list, the faster participants fell asleep.
  • In contrast, writing about completed activities didn’t offer the same benefit—and in some cases, it was linked to longer time to fall asleep.

What are some caveats?

  • This study was small and focused on healthy young adults, so we can’t say for sure that the same results would apply to everyone.
  • While the findings are promising, they don’t mean that writing a to-do list is a cure for chronic insomnia.
  • For people who struggle with bedtime worry, it might be a helpful tool to try.

What does this mean for you?

  • If unfinished tasks keep you from falling asleep at night, writing a quick to-do list before bed might be beneficial.
  • It might help you offload those thoughts and ease into sleep more quickly.
  • Just a few minutes of jotting down tomorrow’s tasks could make a noticeable difference.

Want more strategies to support your mental health?
Check out these tips for managing stress or ways to improve sleep.

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA
OSU-CCS Psychiatrist
Contact: patel.2350@osu.edu

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes.  With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students Chapter 7. Sleep strategies to improve mental health.
  2. American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III: Reference Group Executive Summary Fall 2024. Silver Spring, MD: American College Health Association; 2025.
  3. Scullin MK, Krueger ML, Ballard HK, Pruett N, Bliwise DL. The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2018 Jan;147(1):139-146. doi: 10.1037/xge0000374. Epub 2017 Oct 23. PMID: 29058942; PMCID: PMC5758411.

Can omega 3’s improve sleep?

College students can take many steps in their everyday lives to improve their mental health, one of the main factors is sleep (1). A previous post looked at poor sleep and worsening stress levels (2).

Poor sleep in college students can also impact tension, irritability, depression, confusion, reduced life satisfaction, or poor academic performance (3).

Yet more than 75% of students report getting less than 8 hours of sleep on average on weeknights over the last 2 weeks according to the Fall 2024 ACHA-NCHA IIIb Reference Group survey of 33,763 college students across 48 institutions (4).

A recent study looked at of impact of omega 3s on sleep.

What was the study? (5)

  • This was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, parallel-grouped study (5)
  • 66 healthy males and females, mean age 52.8 years (5)
  • Participants received 576 mg DHA and 284 mg EPA per day (n = 33), or corn oil (placebo group, n = 33), for 12 weeks (5)
  • Sleep was measured using a self reported scores (OSA-MA and POMS-2 tests) and objective sleep monitoring via a device (monitor that evaluates the sleep state by collecting breath, pulse, and body movement data) (5)
  • Blood omega 3 levels and dietary survey was also done.

What were the results? (5)

  • The study showed that 576 mg DHA and 284 mg EPA per day improved sleep quality (5)
  • Frequent dreaming also improved (5).
  • They theorized that the mechanism might be related to impact on serotonin and melatonin levels (5)

What are some caveats?

  • This is one of the first studies to show that low dose omega 3s can improve sleep quality (5).
  • This was a well designed randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel grouped study with objective and subjective measures (5).
  • There are many other studies showing benefit from omega 3’s and sleep quality. (6)
  • While this study involved healthy participants, individuals with health conditions may need a higher dose of omega 3’s to find benefit (5).
  • Check with your health professional to ensure that Omega 3’s are appropriate for you as they may not be suitable for everyone.
  • Plant based omega 3’s may be an option for those who do not or cannot eat fish.
  • While this study was in middle aged adults (5) and a separate study found benefits in young adults (7) findings may not be generalizable to other populations with health conditions.
  • Further study in specific populations  with specific health conditions is needed.

 

Strategies to manage stress can be found here: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2014/08/15/stress-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Strategies for sleep can be found here: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2017/12/31/poor-sleep-and-poor-grades-might-go-together/

Please enter your email above if you want to be notified of future posts.

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA OSU-CCS Psychiatrist

Contact: patel.2350@osu.edu

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes.  With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students Chapter 7. Sleep strategies to improve mental health.
  2. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/?p=846
  3. Buboltz WC Jr, Brown F, Soper B. Sleep habits and patterns of college students: a preliminary study. J Am Coll Health. 2001 Nov;50(3):131-5. doi: 10.1080/07448480109596017. PMID: 11765249.
  4. American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III: Reference Group Executive Summary Fall 2024. Silver Spring, MD: American College Health Association; 2025.
  5. Yokoi-Shimizu, K., Yanagimoto, K., & Hayamizu, K. (2022). Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid and Eicosapentaenoic Acid Supplementation on Sleep Quality in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 14(19), 4136. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14194136
  6. Dai Y., Liu J. Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid and sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and longitudinal studies. Nutr. Rev. 2021;79:847–868. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa103.
  7. Watanabe, N., Matsuoka, Y., Kumachi, M., Hamazaki, K., Horikoshi, M., & Furukawa, T. A. (2018). Omega-3 fatty acids for a better mental state in working populations – Happy Nurse Project: A 52-week randomized controlled trial. Journal of psychiatric research, 102, 72–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.03.015

 

Study: Sleep and stress levels

College students can take many steps in their everyday lives to improve their mental health, one of the main factors is sleep (1).

Poor sleep in college students can impact tension, irritability, depression, confusion, reduced life satisfaction, or poor academic performance (2).

Yet more than 75% of students report getting less than 8 hours of sleep on average on weeknights over the last 2 weeks according to the Fall 2024 ACHA-NCHA IIIb Reference Group survey of 33,763 college students across 48 institutions (3).

A recent study looked at sleep and stress levels (4)

32 college students recorded their daily sleep duration using a wristband for six days and took a survey of stress, resilience, and sleep quality.

What were the results? 

  • Poor sleep quality is associated with greater perceived stress (4)

  • Lack of sleep can make students more vulnerable to stressful situations(4)

  • Insufficient sleep for five consecutive nights can alter the evaluation of neutral and pleasant stimuli, leading to a more negative perception (4)

  • Improving self control impacted the relationship between sleep and stress (4)

What are some caveats?

  • The findings of this study build on another study which showed that sleep deprivation can increase the stress hormone cortisol by up to 21% (5)
  • This is 1 small study and further research is needed
  • Participants were recruited through convenience sampling, which may introduce selection bias (4)
  • While sleep duration was measured objectively using a Fitbit, and self-reported data  of the study can be subject to inaccuracies due to bias and social desirability bias(4)

Strategies to manage stress can be found here: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2014/08/15/stress-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Strategies for sleep can be found here: https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2017/12/31/poor-sleep-and-poor-grades-might-go-together/

Please enter your email above if you want to be notified of future posts.

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA OSU-CCS Psychiatrist

Contact: patel.2350@osu.edu

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes.  With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students Chapter 7. Sleep strategies to improve mental health.
  2. Buboltz WC Jr, Brown F, Soper B. Sleep habits and patterns of college students: a preliminary study. J Am Coll Health. 2001 Nov;50(3):131-5. doi: 10.1080/07448480109596017. PMID: 11765249.
  3. American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III: Reference Group Executive Summary Fall 2024. Silver Spring, MD: American College Health Association; 2025.
  4. Tafoya SA, Aldrete-Cortez V, Tafoya-Ramos F, Fouilloux-Morales C, Díaz-Olavarrieta C. Sleep and Perceived Stress: An Exploratory Mediation Analysis of the Role of Self-Control and Resilience among University Students. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Aug 11;20(16):6560. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20166560. PMID: 37623146; PMCID: PMC10454638.
  5. Lamon S, Morabito A, Arentson-Lantz E, Knowles O, Vincent GE, Condo D, Alexander SE, Garnham A, Paddon-Jones D, Aisbett B. The effect of acute sleep deprivation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and the hormonal environment. Physiol Rep. 2021 Jan;9(1):e14660. doi: 10.14814/phy2.14660. PMID: 33400856; PMCID: PMC7785053.