{"id":3315,"date":"2026-01-09T08:50:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T08:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/09\/cognitive-shuffling-a-mental-trick-to-help-you-quiet-racing-thoughts-and-fall-asleep-2\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T08:50:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T08:50:26","slug":"cognitive-shuffling-a-mental-trick-to-help-you-quiet-racing-thoughts-and-fall-asleep-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/09\/cognitive-shuffling-a-mental-trick-to-help-you-quiet-racing-thoughts-and-fall-asleep-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Cognitive shuffling: A mental trick to help you quiet racing thoughts and fall asleep"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/ai-article-summary\/instances\/cm98mpnzm00013b6osj55vfma@published\" class=\"ai-article-summary hidden \" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-selector-brand=\"accent-ai\">    <button class=\"ai-article-summary__toggle\">        <strong class=\"ai-article-summary__title\">            <span class=\"ai-article-summary__stars-icon\">            <\/span>            <span>Summary<\/span>        <\/strong>            <span class=\"ai-article-summary__toggle-caret-up\" aria-label=\"Toggle Article Summary\"><\/span>            <span class=\"ai-article-summary__toggle-caret-down\" aria-label=\"Toggle Article Summary\"><\/span>    <\/button>    <\/p>\n<div class=\"ai-article-summary__collapsible\">\n<ul class=\"ai-article-summary__items\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<li class=\"ai-article-summary__item\">Cognitive shuffling, a technique developed by cognitive scientist Dr. Luc Beaudoin, helps quiet racing thoughts for better sleep.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ai-article-summary__item\">The method involves mentally conjuring random, non-emotionally charged words and corresponding images for each letter.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ai-article-summary__item\">Though research is limited, the technique mimics natural sleep onset when the brain experiences fragmented thought patterns.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ai-article-summary__item\">Practitioners typically report falling asleep within five to 15 minutes while using this mental distraction method.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ai-article-summary__item\">Experts emphasize cognitive shuffling is not a replacement for proper sleep hygiene or treatment for sleep disorders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"ai-article-summary__footer\">            <span class=\"ai-article-summary__disclaimer-text\">This summary was AI-generated and reviewed by CNN editors.<\/span>                                <\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm978nglx005426p33r4f0fgz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            When Dr. Luc Beaudoin was an undergraduate student nearly 40 years ago, he often had trouble falling asleep on Sunday nights and was eager to find a solution.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms00083b6m2kte43w8@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            He found inspiration in a cognitive psychology class he was taking and a professor\u2019s theory regarding visual motion detection, Beaudoin, now a cognitive scientist, said. Visual motion detection refers to<strong> <\/strong>the visual system\u2019s ability to perceive and process motion based on changing patterns of light on the retina.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms00093b6mon5p9roq@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cI thought to myself: If I can understand the human brain\u2019s \u2018sleep onset control system,\u2019 I could perhaps devise a technique to trick the brain into falling asleep,\u201d Beaudoin, who is also an adjunct professor of education at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, said via email. That technique was cemented as \u201ccognitive shuffling\u201d by 2009, when he was 41 and experiencing another bout of difficulty initially falling asleep or falling back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night.<strong><\/strong>    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cm97gtcf200153b6m1xtnceta@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content_full-width related-content_full-width--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"related-content_full-width__image image__related-content\">            <\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content_full-width__headline\">            <span class=\"related-content_full-width__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/span>      <span class=\"related-content_full-width__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">Counting sheep: Who came up with this old sleep tip, and does it work?<\/span>    <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000a3b6mmknt2rf7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cMy insomnia went away,\u201d Beaudoin said. \u201cMy girlfriend (now my wife) was amazed that I would fall asleep so quickly. I felt I was onto something important. So, I read more extensively and thought deeply about the sleep onset control system.\u201d<strong> <\/strong>    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000b3b6myb7b1pij@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Cognitive shuffling typically involves mentally conjuring up random, impersonal and non-emotionally charged words. For each letter of a word you pick at random, you think of as many corresponding words as you can for five to eight seconds each before moving to the next letter, Beaudoin said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000c3b6mfd6p68ue@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            For the word \u201cpiano,\u201d for example, you might think \u201cPear, parachute, Paul, pirouette \u2026 Item, intention, immature, igloo \u2026\u201d and so on. (Beaudoin is also an owner of CogZest and a cofounder of CogSci Apps Corp. and Somnolence+ Inc., all of which develop products based on his research.)    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000e3b6mhs53ulhr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            While the technique may not sound calming, it \u201ctakes your mind off of your problems and your issues, and helps you get into a more relaxed state of mind,\u201d said Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a sleep medicine physician and neurologist at the Millennium Physician Group in Fort Myers, Florida.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000f3b6mr3q3axxv@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cI always tell patients, \u2018You cannot force yourself to sleep. You have to allow yourself to sleep.\u2019 And this is just one of the methods that we use to help with that,\u201d added Abbasi-Feinberg, who often suggests the technique for her patients having sleep issues.<strong><\/strong>    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000g3b6mouaa64p0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Sometimes you can even visualize corresponding scenarios or movements, such as yourself playing the piano or someone falling with a parachute, Beaudoin said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000k3b6mgtlcj50z@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            <strong>READ MORE: <\/strong>Anxiety robbing your sleep? A weighted blanket may help    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000h3b6m2jif9x51@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Here\u2019s the science behind cognitive shuffling, and what to know about practicing it.    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader vossi-subheader vossi-subheader--size-h2\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cm97gsx0b00103b6miugdj1lh@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"why-cognitive-shuffling-works\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        Why cognitive shuffling works<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000i3b6mfck7ic3g@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            At this point, there\u2019s little research on cognitive shuffling. So what makes some doctors back a do-it-yourself sleep hack without substantial evidence?    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000j3b6m8qcbcksu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            It turns out that the fundamental theory behind cognitive shuffling, though conjectural, \u201caligns with established principles in cognitive neuroscience and sleep psychology,\u201d Dr. Leah Kaylor, a clinical psychologist and author based in Louisiana, said via email. It\u2019s based on a large number of studies Beaudoin and other researchers reviewed in a paper published April 2020 in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000l3b6mzxenhvrk@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In addition to taking the mind off one\u2019s worries, cognitive shuffling \u201cresembles in critical respects natural sleep onset,\u201d Beaudoin said.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cm97gvfni001e3b6mljiegsh1@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content_full-width related-content_full-width--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"related-content_full-width__image image__related-content\">            <\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content_full-width__headline\">            <span class=\"related-content_full-width__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/span>      <span class=\"related-content_full-width__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">Adults can sleep with stuffed animals, too. It might even be a good thing, experts say<\/span>    <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000m3b6m2cxw2cy4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In the natural transition into sleep, people tend to have \u201cmicrodreams\u201d and fragmented, nonlinear thought patterns, Beaudoin and Kaylor said. Intentionally engaging in random, disconnected thinking may replicate this cognitive presleep state, helping people fall asleep.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000n3b6m8k774cjj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cWe think there\u2019s 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,\u201d Beaudoin said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000o3b6mp0pbg0ic@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Since our brains tend to \u201cshuffle\u201d between random thoughts during quieter periods, giving our brains a calming or neutral distraction can be more helpful than allowing them to find something on their own, Dr. Kami McManus, a sleep psychologist in the department of sleep medicine at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, said via email.<strong><\/strong>    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000p3b6m6ax26gf7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Beaudoin published his third study on cognitive shuffling in 2016. The study\u2019s sample size was small, but its findings were encouraging: 154 college students, most of them female, were randomly assigned to a standard treatment done before bedtime, to practicing a cognitive shuffling exercise more formally known as a serial diverse imagining task (SDIT), or to both.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000q3b6mg4fdaep9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In the SDIT group, an app randomly presented recordings of words one at a time with eight-second intervals in between, during which participants created and maintained an image of the word until the next recording prompted the next image and so on.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000r3b6mc9xzbwfe@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The SDIT group were more likely to experience improvements in sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep and presleep arousal \u2014 heightened physical or mental activity while trying to fall asleep. These benefits lasted throughout the semester.<strong><\/strong>    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cm97gwplg001l3b6mj43jf3jd@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content_full-width related-content_full-width--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"related-content_full-width__image image__related-content\">            <\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content_full-width__headline\">            <span class=\"related-content_full-width__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/span>      <span class=\"related-content_full-width__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">What\u2019s \u2018sleepmaxxing\u2019? Experts weigh in on the social media trend<\/span>    <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000s3b6mltuncbv7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Beaudoin and his team are planning additional research, this time comparing cognitive shuffling to other mental visualization and cognitive techniques.    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader vossi-subheader vossi-subheader--size-h2\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cm97gsx0c00113b6m1lktvvz1@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"imagining-yourself-to-sleep\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        Imagining yourself to sleep<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000t3b6m0rrwa0ep@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            To practice cognitive shuffling, there isn\u2019t a set number of words or amount of time required. The words you choose for each letter also don\u2019t have to be logically related, Kaylor said \u2014 trying to control the randomness will reduce the technique\u2019s effectiveness.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000u3b6m6evsxta5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            People typically report falling asleep within around five to 15 minutes, while others may take longer, especially if they\u2019re highly stressed or prone to overthinking, Kaylor said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000v3b6mt4knhseh@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            If you find yourself engaged in the technique for more than 20 minutes or starting to feel frustrated, it\u2019s best to give up and get out of bed, McManus said. Your body may not be ready, so doing a calming activity elsewhere for 20 to 30 minutes before going back to bed and trying again is better than trying too hard and activating negative emotions, making sleep more difficult.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000w3b6m9lgrqmal@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Try this technique several nights in a row before you decide whether cognitive shuffling works for you, these experts recommended. However, remember that it\u2019s not a replacement for proper sleep hygiene or a cure for a sleep condition.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000x3b6m7z7p91qj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIf someone drinks a lot of coffee before bed, they shouldn\u2019t expect cognitive techniques to help them fall asleep,\u201d Beaudoin said.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cm97gvxn5001g3b6mu6pqoa4y@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content_full-width related-content_full-width--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"related-content_full-width__image image__related-content\">            <\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content_full-width__headline\">            <span class=\"related-content_full-width__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/span>      <span class=\"related-content_full-width__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">Socks could really improve your sleep, experts say<\/span>    <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000y3b6mnkhwpayr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Additionally, you should still ensure you have regular sleep and wake times; a bedtime routine involving other wind-down habits such as journaling or taking a warm shower; a quiet, dark and cool room; limited screen time before bed; and no alcohol in the few hours before sleep.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm97gswms000z3b6m9k73vmny@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            If you regularly have problems sleeping, Beaudoin emphasized that cognitive techniques in general aren\u2019t replacements for medical advice. They\u2019re also not substitutes for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, known as CBT-I, as many cases of insomnia have more than one element in need of treatment.    <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div>This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary Cognitive shuffling, a technique developed by cognitive scientist Dr. Luc Beaudoin, helps quiet racing thoughts for better sleep. The method involves mentally conjuring random, non-emotionally charged words and corresponding images for each letter. Though&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleep"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiddenhealthysecrets.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}