Say Goodbye to Your Nighttime Anxiety: This New Sleep Hack Won’t Make You Count Sheep

You are not alone in your struggle to find a quality night’s sleep. It is believed that between 50 and 70 million Americans struggle to sleep well. It might not seem like a big deal, but not getting enough restorative sleep over time can make you more susceptible to a plethora of health problems like high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. It can also make managing your emotions more difficult.

You may have tried the top sleep hackto drink the Sleepy Girl Mocktail to using sleep technology and breathing techniques. You may not have heard of the “cognitive shuffle” method until now. Let’s dig into what it is, if it works and what people are saying about it.

For more sleep hacks, see who foods you should eat before bedhow to do stop getting up to pee when you should sleep and why you might want to try it Scandinavian sleep method.

What is cognitive mixing?

It used to be that counting sheep was all the rage. Thanks to social media platforms like TikTok, you can access the latest sleep techniques. One that has been growing in popularity is the cognitive blend for sleep.

Read more: Fall asleep fast with this tried and true 5 minute hack

Cognitive blending is a cognitive behavioral therapy developed by Luc P. Beaudoinwho has a PhD in cognitive science. The goal is to disrupt your thought patterns by focusing on words, phrases or images to help your mind relax. Focusing on random things distracts your mind from items that might cause anxiety or stress, which can disrupt your ability to sleep.

How to test cognitive blending for yourself

After you go to bed, turn off the lights, relax and focus on a word that is at least five letters long and carries no emotional value for you. To demonstrate, you can think of a bobber. Next, you will find words that start with each letter of the word. Starting with “B”, you can make bottle, basin or bobcat.

When thinking of these words, you want to spell them out slowly while visualizing them. This is an ideal way to reset your mind, channeling all its focus away from the things that make you anxious while giving you peaceful reflection.

Another way to test this is to channel random thoughts. Instead of focusing on a word or phrase, let your mind drift, creating images with random words like cows, sandwiches, lights and more. Finally, you can think of a word while focusing on your heart. In your eighth heartbeat, for example, think of another word that begins with the same letter. So, if the word you chose was bread, focus on another word that starts with “B”, like Bronco. The key here is to keep things casual.

Read more: Use This Meditation Method to Fall Asleep in 10 Minutes or Less

What others are saying about cognitive shuffle

People who probably have sleep problems and tried cognitive shuffles have found successful results. A Reddit user noticed it was the only thing that worked for them; the practice was enough to distract his brain, allowing him to sleep.

Dr. Scott Walker, a dermatologist based in Denver, posted on TikTok revealing that the cognitive shuffle was a moments of light for him. He equates the practice to rearranging the thoughts in your head, similar to shuffling a deck of cards. The doctor notes that in addition to distracting your mind, it creates micro dreams, which happens when you fall asleep. This practice gives your brain the green light to go to sleep.

Bottom line: Stop counting sheep

Struggling to sleep may be more common than you think. One of the best ways to relax your mind to sleep is to try cognitive blending. It allows your mind to focus on random objects and letters, triggering a process similar to micro dreams, which helps your mind transition to sleep. It has worked well for doctors and others, so try it and see if it helps you fall asleep faster.