People Who Can't Go To Sleep With Dirty Dishes In The Sink Usually Have These 11 Interesting Traits
George Rudy / Shutterstock I’ll be open here. Just this week, I let the dishes in my sink pile up. It drove me nuts every time I walked into the kitchen or tried to make food. No matter how annoyed I was by it, I couldn’t find the energy to actually wash them. It felt ridiculous, and sounds just as much typing it for the world to see.
If you’ve been there, I understand why you didn’t get around to taking care of the mess immediately. Life is busy. However, many more dedicated people than we cannot go to sleep knowing a pile of dishes is waiting for them in the kitchen. There is powerful psychology involved in keeping a space clean. People with clean houses are happier and healthier than those with dirty ones. If you can’t fall asleep knowing you have to deal with a dirty space the next morning, you may connect with some of these special traits.
People who can't go to sleep with dirty dishes in the sink usually have these 11 special traits
1. They are tidy
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Some people are just naturally tidy. It’s a personality trait that they embrace. Others may have a hard time keeping things clean, but not someone who can’t go to sleep with the dirty dishes in the sink. When someone is a clean freak, they will struggle to relax knowing there is a mess somewhere in their home.
One study found that people who live in cluttered homes are more likely to suffer from insomnia and other sleep-related issues. Whether they recognize the cause of their sleep issues or not, the environment in which they attempt to fall asleep makes a difference. If you’re someone who does not sleep well when there are dishes in the sink, you’re likely tidy and probably have a better sleep score than most.
2. They’re always in control
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When someone calls another person controlling, it has a bad reputation. We typically picture someone who is rude or offensive to others and their personal choices. However, when you think of controlled individuals in a positive light, you may picture someone who has the self-control to keep their place clean. They know it could be easier to go to bed without doing the dishes, but they recognize that they are in control of their environment. Instead, they’ll toss and turn until they complete the task.
There is a big connection between dirty spaces and mental health. When someone is in control of their life, they see how a mess impacts their everyday feelings. They’ll tackle the dishes immediately to keep them in a good mindset before bed.
3. They are disciplined
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Going along with self-control is discipline. People who refuse to go to bed until they can check the dishes off their to-do lists have a special trait. They hold themselves accountable. When they have a mess, they don’t get distracted by watching TV or scrolling on their phones. Instead, they have the discipline needed to clean first and relax later.
Naturally tidy people are not motivated by guilt. They don’t feel like they have to clean. Instead, they have made it part of their mindset and routine. Self-disciplined people carve out time each day to get their cleaning done and refuse to go to sleep if the dishes haven’t been done.
4. They are minimalists
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Those who prioritize having a clean home are natural minimalists. They know that it is easier to keep their home in order when they have fewer items to maintain. The same can be said about how many dishes they have to do. When someone is mindful about the number of items they use, they’ll only grab what they absolutely need. This can make doing the dishes easier.
If someone is a minimalist and knows that a little goes a long way, they have an easier time keeping their home less cluttered. They will only keep the amount of silverware and dishware they need. Their sink will never become an overflowing mess. Instead, they have only a few dishes to do before bed so that they can prioritize them easily.
5. They are perfectionists
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Some may consider the perfectionist trait to be a negative one. They will picture this person as self-obsessed, striving to be the best to feed their ego. However, this is not always the case. Perfectionists can have different strengths. Some people want their home to be perfectly clean and spotless. They’ll prioritize getting the dishes washed before bed for this reason.
They may not feel they completed every task of the day if they leave dirty dishes out overnight. Before they fall asleep, they may go through a mental checklist to make sure they accomplished all they set out to do. If they leave dishes behind, it can make them feel like a failure. Perfectionists hold themselves to high standards, and it can show in the way a sink full of dishes makes them feel.
6. They are anxious
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Mess can equal stress for people. Those who are prone to feeling anxious when their home is out of sorts will ensure they get themselves out of that situation as quickly as possible. Instead of putting off cleaning, like some of us do (I’m talking about myself), they tackle the task and complete it to keep from growing anxious about it.
A study found that women with messy homes had higher cortisol levels. They were made more stressed and anxious by the state of their home. When anxiety is high, sleeping doesn’t come easily. People who feel anxious about their home might not want to tackle the dishes before bed, but they feel like they have to prevent losing sleep. They can’t rest until the house is spotless.
7. They are respectful
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If you live with other people, keeping your dishes clean might be important to you. I say might because we have all had that one roommate. However, if someone is unable to go to sleep with dishes in the sink because they feel guilty, they are the respectful housemate. They don’t want to inconvenience anyone. Even if the people they live with are their husband and family, they still want to keep their space clean out of respect for others.
Some people put more effort into cleaning than others. It can be a thankless task. They do it out of respect for both their home and the people who live in it. Doing the dishes can be a small way to show you care about the other people in your home.
8. They are ambitious
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Ambition can look different for everyone. Some people have the motivation to get everything done, no matter how big or small the task. Something like doing the dishes may seem small to some, but to ambitious people, it’s another thing they want to accomplish in the day. They can’t rest until they’ve checked off everything on their to-do list. They may even view themselves as failures until every task for the day is done.
“Ambition also shows up in ownership. If something in your life isn’t working — your schedule, your relationships, your job—ambition doesn’t complain. It moves. Not recklessly. Not reactively. But with resolve,” says Jeff DeGraff, Ph.D., for Psychology Today. This can take the form of their distaste for mess. They’ll see the dishes piling up and take action. Otherwise, they won’t be able to fall asleep.
9. They are orderly
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Do you know someone who has to have their place in complete order? Maybe you are that person. Everything has its place, and everything must stay in order. People who have this trait are determined to keep their space clean. The dishes should be clean and put away in the cabinet they belong in. They are conscientious, organized, and thrive with routine.
If the dishes aren’t clean and put away before bed, they will have trouble falling asleep. They want everything to stay in order. Their organizational skills are always itching to keep things tidy. Their life has an order, and they make sure to follow it. This extends to cleaning and keeping an orderly space.
10. They are strategic
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People who can’t go to sleep with dirty dishes in the sink are strategic. They are always thinking about the next day. Having a long to-do list for the following day can feel overwhelming. Instead of putting things off for the next day, they think ahead. Are they going to have time to take care of it the next day? Will they want to do it then?
Strategic people will ask themselves these questions and choose to work ahead. They want to make the next day as seamless as possible. Planning allows them to have a clear sense of mind. They will fall asleep much more easily knowing they don’t have dirty dishes to deal with tomorrow.
11. They are easily overstimulated
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I don’t know about you, but I can be easily overstimulated. When dishes are spilling out of the sink, it can feel debilitating. It can really get under your skin. People who feel overwhelmed by the amount of dishes in their sink will lose sleep over the idea of them sitting there. Instead, they will do them immediately.
If you are overstimulated by the look of dishes piling up, you’re in luck. By doing your dishes within 24 hours of using them, you are saving yourself more work. It can also be overwhelming to scrub dishes until they are completely clean. Doing the dishes immediately saves you time and effort. The longer the dishes sit, the longer it’ll take to scrub them clean. Plus, it is a serious breeding ground for bacteria.
Haley Van Horn is a freelance writer with a master’s degree in Humanities, living in Los Angeles. Her focus includes entertainment and lifestyle stories.
