What is Cognitive Shuffling? And How It Can Help You Fall Asleep

Lying awake at night unable to fall asleep? Cognitive shuffling might just be the sleep hack you’ve been looking for.

If you’re anything like me, what I’m about to describe is all too familiar. It’s finally bedtime, so you’re cozied up under the covers, ready to fall asleep, and, as soon as your eyes close, your brain switches into overdrive.

For me, this is a nightly occurrence. It doesn’t matter how tired my body may be. My thoughts ping from weekend plans and work stressors to what my favorite middle school teacher might be up to these days and if I should have a yard sale now or wait until summer. As you can imagine, my restless mind has difficulty drifting off.

Turns out, racing thoughts at bedtime isn’t a unique experience. According to a 2022 Consumer Reports survey, 42 percent of U.S. adults said thoughts running through their mind and keeping them awake was their most common sleep challenge.

I’ve tried many techniques to try and calm my bedtime ruminations, from meditation and sleep stories to white noise. They all work for a bit, but eventually, my brain catches on and I’m back to square one.

That is, until I tried cognitive shuffling.

Photo courtesy of Avocado.

What Is Cognitive Shuffling?

Cognitive shuffling is a method of distracting your mind from its worries by “shuffling” between random words that aren’t associated with each other.

Cognitive scientist Dr. Luc Beaudoin came up with the sleep hack in the early 2000s as a way to combat his own difficulties falling asleep. And in a small, 2016 study of 154 university students who complained of racing mind, worries, and uncontrollable thoughts at bedtime, he found that cognitive shuffling (formally known as Serial Diverse Imagining Task) reduced “pre-sleep arousal, sleep effort, and poor sleep quality.”

Why Cognitive Shuffling Can Help You Sleep

When our brain is close to drifting off, it naturally begins to produce fragmented, nonlinear thoughts, also known as “microdreams,” and this acts as a signal that it’s time to transition into sleep.

“We think there’s a positive feedback loop in the brain: Microdreams are not just a product of falling asleep; they cue the brain that it is safe and appropriate to fall asleep,” Dr. Beaudoin told CNN.

But an overactive mind can get in the way. That’s where cognitive shuffling comes in. The technique works by intentionally mimicking those microdreams we experience before sleep — calming the brain and keeping it interested without increasing stimulation.

The method “takes your mind off of your problems and your issues, and helps you get into a more relaxed state of mind,” Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a sleep medicine physician and neurologist at the Millennium Physician Group in Fort Myers, Florida, told CNN.

Photo courtesy of Avocado.

Read more: Do Women Really Need More Sleep?

How to Use Cognitive Shuffling to Fall Asleep

While more research needs to be done into cognitive shuffling, if you find yourself caught in a cycle of overthinking at night, it’s worth giving this sleep hack a try. Not only can it help you fall asleep, it’ll reduce the nighttime anxiety that keeps you awake.

“It’s definitely worth trying for those with insomnia characterized by racing thoughts or difficulty winding down mentally,” Dr. David Rosen, the medical director at Complete Sleep, a sleep apnea treatment company, told Fortune.

Here’s how to get started.

First, create an optimal sleep environment. Keep your bedroom dark and cool, and make sure you have the right bedding for the season.

Once you’re in bed and ready to go to sleep, come up with a random word and visualize it. For example, “cat.” Then, think of a few more words that begin with the letter “c,” like “cantelope,” “car,” “canoe,” etc.

Do this for five to eight seconds before moving on to another starting word that begins with a different letter and repeating the process. Without realizing it, you’ll eventually have slipped into sweet slumber.

The next thing you know, you’ll wake up feeling rested and restored.

Of course, like anything else, it may take a little practice to get used to cognitive shuffling, so give yourself some grace and try it a few nights in a row. Eventually, you’ll get the hang of it. And who knows, it might just be your new secret to great sleep.

Photo courtesy of Avocado.

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Meredith is a freelance writer specializing in wellness, sustainability, and the outdoors. When she's not writing or brainstorming new content, you can find her barefoot in her backyard, cooking up a new recipe, and spending time with her husband, her beagle, and her cat.