Doctors have long pointed to good sleep as the number one lifestyle choice to stay physically and mentally healthy and age well, reducing the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease. Countless videos on social media—touting everything from taping your mouth shut while you sleep, to taking late, warm showers and using phone lockboxes—have enticed a growing group of “sleepmaxxers,” who are obsessed with trying different strategies to help them clock more quality shut-eye. One hack users swear by is called cognitive shuffling, a cousin of the counting-sheep method, but more random.
What is cognitive shuffling, and is it worth the hype? Experts explain.
What is cognitive shuffling?
Cognitive shuffling is when you purposely focus on words that do not correlate to one another, introducing a randomness that can distract you and not emotionally engage you enough to keep you awake. One doctor on TikTok says the method helps “rearrange or reorganize your thoughts similar to shuffling a deck of cards,” and that the randomness mirrors the micro dreams of thought that transition us to sleep.
For example, pick one letter of the alphabet, like “B,” and then come up with words every five to 10 seconds that start with that letter: boat, bouquet, and bread. Your brain will naturally come up with images to visualize these words.
“Cognitive shuffling is a mental technique designed to help people fall asleep by interrupting the brain’s tendency to engage in logical, focused thinking,” Dr. David Rosen, the medical director at Complete Sleep, a sleep apnea treatment company, tells Fortune.
Cognitive scientist Luc P. Beaudoin introduced the practice. In a 2016 study, he found that people who tried the method alongside the technique of jotting down worries before bed found cognitive shuffling helped more and was easier to adopt.
“Research indicates that engaging in nonlinear, slightly random thinking can disrupt the analytical thinking that often keeps people awake,” Rosen says. “The core principles align with what we know about attention, working memory limitations, and the cognitive processes involved in sleep transitions.”
Should I try cognitive shuffling?
Rosen says this method can help people who struggle to fall asleep and may be especially useful for those who have an overactive brain at night and can’t seem to turn off rumination and worry.
“It works by creating a form of mental distraction that’s engaging enough to hold attention but not stimulating enough to increase alertness,” he says. “It’s definitely worth trying for those with insomnia characterized by racing thoughts or difficulty winding down mentally.”
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It’s also harmless, free, and accessible, he adds.
While Dr. Rebecca Robbins, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and sleep scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, says the technique is not thoroughly backed by science like other tools, it doesn’t mean it can’t work. “The best activities before bedtime are those that help us disconnect from our busy day and slip into sleep,” she tells Fortune.
Rosen says the practice may be most helpful alongside other sleep hygiene tools, like having a wind-down routine to calm the body and brain down before bed (think turning off screens, making your bedroom dark and cool, and practicing deep breathing).
Dr. Brintha Vasagar, a family physician, has found the tool beneficial and says it is similar in many ways to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a scientifically backed treatment for insomnia. “The randomness of these words also mimics the random thoughts that our brain drifts to as it prepares for sleep,” she says.
For those who are consistently unable to fall and stay asleep for three nights a week for three months, see a sleep specialist to help diagnose and address a potential sleep disorder.
For more on sleep:
- Your ultimate guide to getting a good night’s sleep
- Going to bed at 9 p.m. every night could improve your health. Here’s how to see the benefits
- Getting good-quality sleep as you age is key for a healthy brain. These 4 strategies can help
