Cognitive Shuffling Can Help You Fall Asleep Faster

If you’re looking to improve your sleep, try a technique called cognitive shuffling. Developed by Dr. Luc P. Beaudoin, a professor at Simon Fraser University, this method helps calm your mind and promote faster sleep by disrupting your usual thought patterns, according to CNet.

To practice cognitive shuffling, start by getting into bed, turning off the lights, and relaxing. Choose a neutral, five-letter word that doesn’t have emotional significance to you. Then, break the word down letter by letter, thinking of other words that start with each letter. For example, if you pick “boats,” you could start with “box” for B, then “berry” for B, and so on. As you think of each word, visualize it slowly in your mind while spelling it out, until you’re ready to move on to the next letter, in this case O. Repeat the process until complete.  

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Cognitive shuffling can also help to promote micro dreams.

According to health experts like Dr. Angela Holliday-Bell, this bedtime technique redirects your focus away from racing or anxious thoughts, helping you relax and drift off to sleep more easily. It can also help trigger “micro dreams”—brief dream snippets, typically lasting less than a second—that slip into your mind as you drift off to sleep, Psychology Today notes.

According to a TikTok video by health expert Holliday-Bell, posted on July 22, these micro dreams can make it easier to fall asleep. Holliday-Bell also mentioned that those who successfully practice cognitive shuffling can fall asleep within 10 to 15 minutes.

Sleep is crucial for overall health, but many Americans are falling short. As reported, adults nationwide are getting less than the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep, with averages ranging from just 5.7 to seven hours. This sleep deprivation is linked to serious health risks, including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and stroke, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

If you struggle to wind down at night, give cognitive shuffling a try. If it doesn’t work, consider the 10-3-2-1-0 method as another option. This method involves stopping food, work, and screen time, along with caffeine intake a few hours before bed to improve sleep quality. If successfully implemented into your bedtime routine, it can signal to both your body and mind that it’s time to wind down and relax.

Read more on the unique sleep hack below.

Would you try cognitive shuffling, or do you have other hacks that help you fall asleep faster? Tell us in the comments section.

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