A doctor has gone viral – which sounds like the start of a dad joke, but isn’t – for sharing a trick to help you fall back asleep if you wake up at 3 a.m. The technique is called “cognitive shuffling,” and it’s meant to calm a racing mind in the middle of the night.
“Work, money, kids, planning, scheduling, problem-solving. Your brain is too active to let you sleep – in fact, the stress of all these thoughts tells your brain it’s not safe to sleep, that you need to stay on high alert,” explains Bradford GP Amir Khan.
Cognitive shuffling interrupts that cycle and encourages your brain to shift into sleep mode. Khan says to try it, pick a random word – like “bed” or “dream” – and then think of objects that start with each letter of the word, picturing them in your mind. “Bed begins with B, so maybe bat, binoculars, baseball, banana,” he adds helpfully. “Once I’ve exhausted the letter B, I move on to E – emu, elephant, eyes. And so on.”
Sounds great. Except when I mentioned to my husband that I planned to try cognitive shuffling. We ended up in such a heated debate over suitable starting words that we were awake long past 3 a.m. Without being dramatic, his suggestion made me question whether I’d married the right person.
The idea is to choose something neutral, with no emotional attachment. The examples given were “bed” and “dream.” You can see where Dr. Khan was going with this, so I picked “cloud” – and I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with that. My husband’s word? Mound.
Clearly, he missed the mark right away – just look at the list: bed, dream, cloud, MOUND. But it’s more than just a style mismatch. This is what’s going on in his head. Mound.
Imagine discovering this after you’ve already had children with the person. “Mound” isn’t so much a word as it is a noise, like “bleurgh” or “ugh.” It’s a state of mind. A mound mind. Have you met my husband? Forget Tech Bros and Finance Guys – he’s a Mound Man.
Thanks, Dr. Khan. I’ll probably never sleep again.
Polly Hudson is a freelance writer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about trying a new sleep trick that backfired designed to sound like questions real people would ask
Beginner General Questions
Q What kind of latest sleep trick are we talking about here
A Usually these are popular tips circulating online like specific breathing exercises sleep restriction military method using blue light blockers very late or trying a new supplement like melatonin or magnesium without proper timing
Q Why would a sleep trick keep us awake instead of helping us sleep
A Sometimes a new technique can make you overly focused on performing the trick correctly creating anxiety instead of relaxation Your body and mind might also just react unpredictably to a change in routine
Q Is it normal for a sleep hack to backfire like this
A Yes its fairly common Sleep is highly individual What works wonders for one person can be stimulating or disruptive for another especially if introduced abruptly
Q What should we do the next night after being up all night
A Go back to your regular winddown routine Avoid napping too long and try not to stress about making up sleep Your body will naturally be more tired the following night to compensate
Advanced Troubleshooting Questions
Q Could this happen because we tried it together Should we experiment separately
A Absolutely Trying it simultaneously can add pressure One persons restlessness or skepticism can easily affect the other Its often better for each person to test new methods individually first
Q Did the timing mess us up Are some tricks not meant for right before bed
A Very likely For example some relaxation or mindfulness exercises are best practiced earlier in the day to build the skill Doing them for the first time at bedtime can engage your brain too actively
Q We tried a supplement Could the dosage have been wrong
A Yes A dose thats too high or even taking something like melatonin at the wrong time can cause restlessness vivid dreams or even a hangover effect that disrupts sleep
Q How do we know if a sleep trick is legit or just a fad
A Look for methods backed by
