This Viral Mental Exercise Could Help You Fall Asleep Quickly

TikTok is full of sleep hacks that users say have changed their lives. One of the latest trends gaining traction is “cognitive shuffling.”

A doctor on TikTok recently shared a video explaining the technique, describing it as a “simple mental exercise” that improved his sleep.

Cognitive shuffling is something of a word game to help distract your mind, which might help you fall asleep, according to Ellen Wermter, FNP, DBSMa nurse practitioner and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at Better Sleep Council.

For some people, this can help reduce the “performance anxiety” about how long it’s going to take to fall asleep, Wermter told Verywell. However, others might find this practice stressful instead.

“It becomes a problem when we start to get anxious about it,” Wermter said.

If you’ve been having a hard time getting enough rest, cognitive shuffling may be worth a shot—as long as you know when to give it up if it’s keeping you awake rather than putting you to sleep.

How Does Cognitive Shuffling Work?

There are a variety of “cognitive shuffling” practices, but the most common method is achieved in a few simple steps.

1. Pick a random word, and spell it out in your head. For example, use the word “mask.”
2. Visualize the first letter of that word. In this case, that would be “m”.
3. In your head, list all the other words you can think of that start with that letter. In this case, you could list merry, mango, money, Monday, etc.
4. Make lists for all the subsequent letters of your original word. In this case, that would be “a”, “s”, and “k”.

Why Might Shuffling Your Thoughts Help With Sleep?

Cognitive shuffling mimics what naturally happens in your brain as you fall sleep: The mind shifts through random thoughts, often without your full awareness.

“The randomness of thought that starts to happen right before you fall asleep—you know how sometimes you’ll wake up a little and think, What was I thinking about?—you’re mimicking that with the shuffling,” Wermter said.

Cognitive shuffling is similar to other techniques—like counting sheep—that don’t require too much brain power. But you might need to practice it a few times to get the hang of it, experts say.

And it won’t work for everyone, said Alicia Roth, PhDa sleep specialist at Cleveland Clinic’s Sleep Disorders Center. “Ultimately, we sleep best when there is little effort. The more ‘sleep effort’ we exert, the more difficult it is to sleep.” she added. “My concern for a method like cognitive shuffling is that for some people, it may add to sleep effort and maybe make things worse.”

Cognitive shuffling may also be difficult for those who struggle with visualizing words and spelling them out in their head, such as people with dyslexia.

What Other Sleep Hacks Can You Try?

TikTok has popularized numerous sleep hacks, such as the “sleepy girl mocktail” (tart cherry juice) and mouth taping. While these might help, the most effective way to improve sleep is to maintain good sleep hygiene—like avoiding large meals late at night and keeping your bedroom dark and cool.

If you’ve been struggling to fall asleep, try these tips:

• Avoid caffeine in the evenings
• Go to bed and wake up at a consistent time
• Avoid nicotine
• Exercise earlier in the day
• Avoiding alcohol in the evening
• Eliminate distractions like noise from a TV or light from a computer screen at least an hour before bedtime

As you tinker with your sleep routine, avoid putting too much pressure on yourself to do things perfectly. “If you have an elaborate routine you need to do to help you sleep, this is putting a lot of effort into a process that should be effortless,” Roth said. “There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to wind down and prepare yourself for sleep.”