Doctor shares ‘game-changing’ hack using 'shuffling' method to fall asleep quicker
Kya Buller
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@denverskindoc/JGI/Tom Grill/Getty Images
We all deserve a good night's sleep after a long day, but sometimes our bodies just won't let us have one.
Luckily, the internet has given us access to the advice of doctors whenever we want it.
Insomnia has many sufferers, with the NHS stating one in three people have it.
We've all heard the usual advice - no screens before bed, pillow mist, maybe even some relaxing beach sounds.
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But when you truly cannot sleep, it feels like nothing will help.
Dr Scott Walter has taken to TikTok to share his own advice, which he captioned: "say goodbye to the Sunday Scaries and fall asleep quickly with this doctor approved sleep hack".
Scott says this is a total 'game changer' and he wish he'd known about it before he hit his 30s.
He said: "I'm a doctor and sometimes I have trouble falling asleep, and I'm going to tell you about the method which was like a light switch moment for me, once I'd learned it."
He continued: "It doesn't involve taking melatonin or other supplements, it doesn't involve taking a hot shower before bed, or even reading.
"It's a simple mental exercise we call cognitive shuffling."
Scott then explains how it works.
"It's a way to rearrange or reorganise your thoughts, similar to shuffling a deck of cards."
Scott then explained that this method distracts our minds from conscious thought patterns that will keep us awake - for example, ruminating about an argument we've had, or a worry we have.
He then explains there's a couple of different ways to do it.
"For example, cow, leaf, sandwich, butter, liver, things like that.
"Just random things that make no sense."
"Then count your heartbeat. On every eight beats, you think of a word that begins with that letter."
"In addition to distracting your brain, cognitive shuffling mimics what are called 'micro dreams', which occur during the transition of sleep.
"So it lets your brain know 'hey, it's safe to sleep now.'"
Interesting.
One person commented: "I found something easier. You go through the alphabet & for each letter you think of a place, a fruit, & a drink that begins with that letter. I rarely make it past E."
Another said: "I pick a category and then go A-Z trying to think of words that fit. I am moderately claustrophobic and I fall asleep during MRIs now."
A third added: "I try to continue the dream I woke up from the night before ...and how it may unfold ... and before u know it, I'm out."
I'll be trying this out tonight.