Forget About Sheep. This New Sleep Hack Will Solve Your Sleep Troubles (2024)

  • Wellness
  • Sleep

The cognitive shuffle method is the latest hack to sleep better. Here's what people are saying about it.

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Between50 and 70 million Americans struggle to get enough quality sleep. Lacking restorative sleep over time could make you more susceptible toelevated blood pressure or Type-2 diabetes, and it may make managing your emotions more difficult.

If you struggle to sleep, you've probably already tried different trendysleep hacks, from drinking theSleepy Girl Mocktail,using sleep tech andbreathing techniques. One that you might have recently heard about is the "cognitive shuffle." Read on to learn what the cognitive shuffling method is, whether it leads to better sleep and what others say about it.

What is cognitive shuffling?

It used to be that counting sheep was all the rage. But thanks to social media platforms like TikTok, you can access newer sleep techniques. One that's been growing in popularity is cognitive shuffling for sleep.

Read more: Fall Asleep Fast With This Tried-and-True 5-Minute Hack

Cognitive shuffling is a cognitive behavioral therapy developed by Luc P. Beaudoin, who holds 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 could cause anxiety or stress, which can disrupt your ability to fall asleep.

How to try cognitive shuffling for yourself

After getting into bed, turn off the lights, relax and focus on a word that's at least five letters long and doesn't carry any emotional value to you. To demonstrate, you could think of a bobber. Next, you'll find words that begin with each letter of the word. Starting with "B," you could do bottle, basin or bobcat.

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

Another way to try this is to channel random thoughts. Instead of focusing on a word or phrase, allow your mind to drift, creating imagery with random words like cows, sandwiches, lights and more. Lastly, you can think of a word while focusing on your heartbeat. On your eighth heartbeat, for example, think of another word beginning with the same letter. So, if the word you chose was bread, concentrate on another word that starts with "B," such as Bronco. The key here is to keep things random.

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

What others are saying about the cognitive shuffle

People who experience sleep problems and tried cognitive shuffles found successful outcomes. One Reddit userremarked it was the only thing that worked for them; the practice was enough to distract their brain, allowing them to sleep.

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

Bottom line: Stop counting sheep

Forget About Sheep. This New Sleep Hack Will Solve Your Sleep Troubles (2)

Struggling to fall asleep might be more common than you think. One of the best ways to relax your mind for sleep is to try the cognitive shuffle. 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's been working great for doctors and others alike, so try it and see if it helps you fall asleep quicker.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Forget About Sheep. This New Sleep Hack Will Solve Your Sleep Troubles (2024)

FAQs

What is the sheep trick for sleep? ›

Counting sheep is a mental exercise used in some Western cultures as a means of putting oneself to sleep. In most depictions of the activity, the practitioner envisions an endless series of identical white sheep jumping over a fence, while counting them as they do so.

Does counting sheep help when you can't sleep? ›

Researchers at Oxford University asked participants to try different distraction techniques while trying to fall asleep over several nights; and the researchers found that counting sheep was no better than doing nothing at all for people struggling with insomnia. The reason is that counting sheep is terribly boring.

What is the number trick for falling asleep? ›

Unlike the New Math that none of us are smart enough to do, this sleep technique named with a sequence of numbers – 4-7-8 Breath — is simple: breathe in for 4 seconds; hold that breath for 7 seconds; then exhale that breath for 8 seconds.

How does sleep sheep work? ›

Sleep Sheep features a heartbeat setting that mimics the comforting sounds of the womb in addition to three white noise options. White noise is proven to lull little ones into slumber. A study of 20 newborns found that infants were more likely to fall asleep within five minutes in response to white noise.

What is the counting sheep trick? ›

Counting sheep involves closing your eyes and imagining a never-ending line of identical white sheep leaping over a fence. As you count each sheep as it jumps over the fence, your mind is supposed to gradually slip into boredom and eventually sleep. Exactly how did this method get started?

How to get asleep quickly? ›

How to fall asleep faster and sleep better
  1. Have good sleep routine (sleep hygiene)
  2. Relax, unwind and try meditation to help you sleep.
  3. Try mindfulness for sleep.
  4. Create the right sleep environment.
  5. Do not force sleep.
  6. Improve sleep through diet and exercise.

What is the counting sheep theory? ›

Some say this philosophy was born when an actual sheep herder had trouble sleeping at night because he was so worried about his herd outside. Wherever it was incepted, this approach to falling asleep relies on both steady rhythm and repetition to effectively bore you to bed.

What is the counting sheep technique? ›

Counting sheep involves closing your eyes and imagining a never-ending line of identical white sheep leaping over a fence. As you count each sheep as it jumps over the fence, your mind is supposed to gradually slip into boredom and eventually sleep. Exactly how did this method get started?

What is the counting technique to fall asleep? ›

Count Backwards from 300 by 3s

Breus said the most common reason people have trouble falling asleep is that they cannot turnoff their mind. Breus uses a variety of distraction techniques, one of them is telling people to count backwards from 300 by 3s.

How to knock out asleep fast? ›

Some of these might include:
  1. reading a book before bed.
  2. not eating lots of carbs 4 hours before bed.
  3. avoiding caffeine at least 6 hours before bed.
  4. journaling at night.
  5. trying yoga, meditating, or the 4-7-8 breathing method.
  6. using essential oils.
Aug 2, 2024

What are the sleep patterns of sheep? ›

Sheep behaviour and needs

Feeding – sheep spend most of the day alternating between periods of grazing (eating grasses and low-growing vegetation) and resting/ruminating (chewing the cud). Sheep only sleep for around four hours a day.

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