38 Best Nightly Journal Prompts for Better Sleep

If you’re looking to start a nightly journaling habit and want to get the most out of your writing, then this blog post is for you! Here we’ll walk through thirty-eight nightly journal prompts that will help prompt and guide your thoughts as you write.

image of a desk with a notebook and sleep mask on it that says 38 nightly journal prompts in black text

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Writing in a journal can be incredibly powerful as it allows us to express our emotions and reflect on aspects of ourselves that we want to change or grow with. This daily practice can also provide clarity, understanding, and peace of mind, which only deepens into the more frequent use of these prompts.

If your goal is to explore yourself in detail, ask yourself meaningful questions about life, and cultivate gratitude even amid times of difficulty—you’ve come to the perfect place. So let’s dive right into these inspiring, if not challenging, prompts!

38 Nightly Journal Prompts

What are some things you are grateful for, despite the stressors in your day?
What was the best part of your day?
What are your top three fears and worries?
How do you decompress at the end of the day?
What was the most stressful part of your day?
What things could you have done differently to reduce your stress levels?
What is one positive thing that happened today, no matter how small?
Are you living the life you want to be living?
Who are the people you admire in your life and why?
What’s your dream job? Will you ever have it?
What did you learn today?
What were your successes today?
What were your failures today?
How did you help someone today?
How did someone help you today?
What character traits do you value most in other people?
If you could go back and relive one day of your life, what would it be?
What are three things you hope to accomplish tomorrow?
What are three things you hope to accomplish in the next five years?
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
What is your favorite happy memory?
What do you want to be remembered for?
How do you define happiness?
How do you define success?
What is your biggest fear, and how do you deal with it?
What makes you feel most fulfilled in life?
What contribution do you hope to make in the world?
In what ways do you feel most connected to others?
In what ways do you feel most disconnected from others?
When do you feel most at peace with yourself?
When do you feel most anxious or stressed?
What brings meaning into your life?
What are the benefits of going to bed early?
What are the benefits of staying up late?
How does going to bed early affect your sleep quality?
How does staying up late affect your sleep quality?
How does going to bed early affect your energy levels?
How does staying up late affect your energy levels?

How do you start a nightly journal?

Starting a nightly journaling routine can benefit many aspects of life. It helps to organize thoughts and ideas, as well as to get rid of any worries or distress that might have been acquired during the day.

To form this habit, try starting small. The first step, get a journal. A pretty journal can be a game changer when it comes to keeping consistent with your habit. Check out these journals that I designed on Amazon!

Next, set aside about 10 minutes at the same time each night for your journal time, and find a comfortable spot to relax and focus on writing without getting distracted. Allowing yourself the time and space for a regular journaling session helps to provide peace of mind, planning skills, and relaxation.

Connecting with yourself through writing out your feelings and experiences from the day can lead to a better understanding of inner emotions and taking control over them in healthier ways.

My Best Bedtime Journaling Tips

Keep your journal and pen beside your bed.
Write every night, even if it’s just one sentence.
Use journal prompts, like the ones above, if you don’t know what to write.
Consider incorporating meditation into your nightly routine if you struggle to get restful sleep.
Don’t overthink; just write. Make it fun and try new things like writing a bucket list or short story if you get bored.

Is it good to journal before bed?

Yes, turning your thoughts into words and putting them on paper might be one of the best decisions you make for yourself before going to bed. The 38 nightly journal prompts listed above make it easier than ever!

Journaling before bed is like hitting the reset button on your day; it’s an opportunity to release your thoughts, worries, and concerns so that you can drift off into a peaceful sleep without a full mind.

Writing down your hopes and dreams is also a great way to set yourself up for success as you lay in bed because if we harness our energy towards positivity, it sets us up for a better night’s sleep and, ultimately, a better tomorrow.

Sometimes things are hanging around our brain that we aren’t even aware of, and journaling before bed is an excellent way to get them out. Especially if you’ve been dealing with a difficult situation and need help figuring out what to do. Could you write it out and see what solutions appear on the page in front of you?

Caucasian hands holding a journal that says 'look for the rainbow after the storm' on a desk with a cup of coffee in the corner.

Benefits of Journaling Before Bed

Fall asleep faster
Sleep more soundly
Less anxiety during the day
Feel more clear-headed in the morning
Better mental health overall

Is it OK to journal at night?

A caucasian person in bed, not showing their head, journaling with a cup of tea next to them.

Absolutely! After a long day, engaging in a few moments of journaling before laying your head down to rest can be incredibly beneficial for your mental health and sleep.

Writing down the things on your mind and clearing out some of those thoughts can help alleviate any stress or worry that may have been brewing throughout the night. Doing so even allows for sleep to come more easily since you have released much of the stress from the day.

Journaling can not only help process how our day went, but it can also provide insight into how we want our days to go moving forward. A journaling practice can be extremely therapeutic and often gives me the best advice.

So find space and time before bed each night, and allow yourself a few moments to put pen to paper – you might be surprised at the results! If you get stuck, use the 38 nightly journal prompts listed above.

What should I write before bed?

Brain dump your anxieties, to-do list, or goals for the week. Use the above prompts to write about something you’ve never considered.

Plan out a dream vacation or home renovation. Write a letter to your younger self and tell them everything you’ve accomplished so far. Write letters to people you love and express yourself without fear of judgment.

The most important thing is to write; using the journaling prompts above can take the guesswork out of it. Especially if you’re working through negative thoughts from a bad day or struggling to stay in the present moment and have positive thoughts, thought-provoking journal prompts can help immensely with stress relief and reduce stress levels.

An open notebook stacked on a brown book that says "gratitude journal prompts" and lists ten prompts

Gratitude Prompts for Night Journaling

What are you thankful for today?
What are you thankful for this year?
Who are you thankful for in your life?
What are you thankful for in your career?
What are you thankful for in your relationship?
What are you thankful for in your health?
What are you thankful for in your spirituality?
What are you thankful for in your hobbies and interests?

How many minutes a day should I journal?

A Caucasian person in the background writing in a journal with a clock on the table in front of them.

Journaling can be a great way to express yourself and focus on your emotions, ideas, and experiences. It can also be an excellent way to identify what is meaningfully important in your life. There is no hard-and-fast rule for how long you should journal every day, but if you assess your goals with journaling, you will have a better idea of the right length of time for you.

If your primary goal is to unload your thoughts and feelings, then as little as 10 minutes per day could do it. However, if you’re looking to craft powerful narratives around meaningful events in your life or develop systems that help change a certain part of your life or observe the world around you – then dedicate more than 30 minutes instead.

This extra time allows you to explore and understand topics more deeply. Ultimately the amount of time you choose to spend journaling each day should be based upon personal preference, and because of this, there are no limits!

Evening Journal Prompts Are a Great Tool

If you’re looking for a way to reduce your anxiety, get better sleep and keep a clear head during the day, journaling at night might be the perfect solution for you. And using nightly journal prompts can help make starting and sticking with this healthy habit easier.

Especially if you’re looking to experience personal growth or process negative emotions, journaling at the end of the day can be a great way to do just that. Journaling is a powerful tool that can help unleash things inside of you that you never knew existed. My favorite thing about journaling is its positive impact on my mental health.

So why not give it a try? Pick up a pen, open to a blank page (or open up your laptop), and give it a go tonight. We’d love to hear how it goes in the comments below. Happy journaling!