This simple trick can make it much easier to fall asleep, according to scientists

Plan your day folks...

There's nothing worse than getting settled for bed. You've watched a quick show on Netflix, or read a book. Your eyelids grow heavy. You can feel sleep coming so you close the laptop, or put down the book and turn off the light. Sleep is fast approaching. You can yourself slipping away into the land of dreams. Then all of a sudden, you're brain gives you a little poke and says, "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" It then proceeds to review every regrettable decision you've made in your life from the age of six and before you know it, it's 4am and you're staring down the barrel of three hours sleep. But scientists at Northwestern University in the US believe they've found a simple way that you can get better quality sleep and sleep for much longer. Researchers discovered that if you've a plan for your next day, it can greatly boost your chances of a good night's sleep. The results were published in the journal Sleep, Science, and Practice and Senior author of the study Jason Ong, an associate professor of neurology at the University's Feinburg School of Medicine, said: "Helping people cultivate a purpose in life could be an effective drug-free strategy to improve sleep quality, particularly for a population that is facing more insomnia... Purpose in life is something that can be cultivated and enhanced through mindfulness therapies." The study was of over 800 people and although the majority of the participants were over 60, the authors of the study believe that the findings are applicable to all ages.