It's time for bed, and you definitely feel tired enough to sleep — maybe even to drift off as soon as your head hits the pillow. But once you've settled in under the covers, you find you're suddenly wide awake. Your thoughts are looping through a bundle of worries, and though they crossed your mind earlier in the day, they now seem overwhelming. Sound familiar?

Worried thoughts tend to spring up out of the dark, keeping many people awake in the middle of the night. Most often, worries take over your brain at bedtime because you haven't given them focused attention earlier in the day. A proven solution is to make time during the day, every day, to write down your worries and simple steps you can take to address them. When you have a plan of action for your worries, they're less likely to keep you awake at night.

• Set aside 15 to 30 minutes during the day or early evening to address what is on your mind. Make sure you do this at least an hour before bedtime.
• Settle into a place where you'll be undisturbed.
• Ask yourself, "What am I worried about?" and write down what comes to mind. You can use a journal, index cards, your computer — anything that's convenient.
• Once you've got all your worries written down, review your list.
  • Are there other ways you could look at any situations that are causing you stress?
  • Are there some things you place a lot of energy thinking or worrying about that you have no control over?
  • You may want to focus on issues you can control and acknowledge those you cannot control. Focus your energy on things you can actually change.
• Finally, write down one simple thing you can do to tackle each worry.
  • For example, if you're worried about your relationship with a friend, you could write that you'll call that person tomorrow.
  • For worries you realize aren't worth your energy, you could write down "nothing" as the next step.

After no more than a half-hour, close your journal or laptop and move on to another activity.

You may be surprised that, while you expected your list of worries to number in the hundreds, your list actually only adds up to 10 or 15 issues at most. This, in itself, can help you feel calmer. The problem usually isn't that your list of worries is so huge, but that it's been so unfocused. Scheduled worry time helps you organize your worries and then set them aside before bed.

If worried thoughts come back into your mind in the middle of the night, remind yourself you have a plan to deal with them. Then distract your thinking using mindfulness, guided imagery or relaxed breathing.

You will need regular, daily practice of the worry-list technique before you can learn to control intrusive thoughts and distract yourself. Don't get discouraged if you don't have immediate success. Keep working at it every day — it will make a difference.