How Can Gratitude Improve Your Sleep?
If you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep, the solution could come from a surprising source.
There are a ton of physical and mental benefits linked to gratitude but you may not realize how it can impact your sleep patterns.
There has been a ton of research into gratitude and sleep and the results are pretty compelling.
In one study, people who kept a gratitude journal reported an extra 30 minutes of sleep per night, especially if it was filled in before bedtime. The most surprising part of this? The subjects in the study were struggling with neuromuscular conditions but still reported better sleep.
In another study, women who filled out a gratitude diary every night saw positive effects in optimism, blood pressure, and sleep patterns.
Gratitude doesn’t have to come purely from you.
According to a study from Portland State University and Clemson University, receiving gratitude works just as well.
Nurses who were given regular expressions of gratitude for their work through the day found it easier to sleep at night. As another bonus, they also gained more life satisfaction and gravitated towards healthier foods.
Want to get the benefits for yourself? Here’s how gratitude can be a game-changer for your sleep patterns.
Sleep Benefit #1 – Fewer Negative Thoughts
According to research from the University of Manchester, demonstrating gratitude reduces the number of negative thoughts that run through your mind at bedtime. At the same time, positive thoughts were increased. The end result? People were able to fall asleep more easily and stay asleep for longer.
Since negative thoughts and anxiety are a major cause of insomnia, gratitude can be a huge factor in getting a better night’s sleep.
You get super used to finding things to feel positive about and grateful for, instead of dwelling on the negative things that would otherwise play on your mind and keep you awake for hours.
If you make it a super strong habit to practice gratitude as often as you can through the day, cultivating positive thoughts instead of negative ones is a whole heap easier.
Keeping a gratitude diary can be hugely effective for this. It encourages you to really drill deep into what’s gone right in your day and what you can be positive for, which leaves no room for negativity at bedtime.
Sleep Benefit #2 – It Changes Your Brain Chemistry
According to research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), gratitude can alter your brain chemistry. Specifically, it affects key neurotransmitters.
During the study, people were asked to think grateful thoughts while researchers examined blood flow to the brain.
Gratitude encouraged a surge in dopamine and helped activate the reward center in the brain. This is why feeling grateful can become addictive since your brain wants to continue to feel the rewards.
The more you practice gratitude, the easier it gets. And that can have huge benefits for sleep.
Benefit #3 – It Reduces the Physical Effects of Stress
According to one study, gratitude can reduce your heart rate. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to note the effects of both gratitude and resentment on heart rate. Researchers concluded that gratitude affects the resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) in the brain — specifically the areas linked to emotions and self-motivation. This can help regulate physical responses to stress too.
The end result? You’re more physically relaxed and stress has fewer effects on your health.
If you often feel wound up and super tense as soon as you go to bed, regular gratitude exercises can train your brain to support physical relaxation.
Tips For Using Gratitude to Improve Sleep
So, how do you start using gratitude to get better sleep?
Completing a gratitude journal every night is a super smart start. The closer you can do this to bedtime, the more effective it’s likely to be. Spend 10 to 15 minutes noting every little thing you’re grateful for
If you don’t have time to do this fully, you can do a condensed version instead. When you get in bed, ask yourself this question: “What was I grateful for today?”. As the answers enter your mind, savor them and embrace the positivity they evoke.
Gratitude breathing exercises are another option. As you inhale, you can breathe in gratitude and exhale negativity. Breathing exercises are great for encouraging your body to relax into sleep too.
Whatever forms your gratitude takes, it’s a super effective way to improve your wellbeing and embrace healthier sleep patterns. It’s a hugely underrated sleep hack that could quickly become your secret weapon for a good night’s sleep.