While a cognitive science student, Luc Beaudoin, now a visiting professor at Simon Fraser University, Canada, frequently experienced insomnia. During restless nights, he observed that as people drift off to sleep, the brain often generates random, entirely disconnected images or scenes.

From this observation, Beaudoin developed the "cognitive shuffling" technique. The method's goal is to actively create chaotic, meaningless images to "trick" the brain into believing it is safe to fall asleep.

Doctor Rafael Pelayo, a sleep medicine expert at Stanford University, explains that biologically, humans often have brief awakenings during the night to assess their surroundings. If you are anxious, this "heightened vigilance" state blocks sleepiness.

Beaudoin's technique addresses this by forcing the brain to focus on neutral images. This process consumes enough energy to "freeze" negative thoughts, while also creating simulated "mini-dreams" that signal safety to the central nervous system.

Illustration: Pexels

Here are the three steps:

If you are tossing and turning in bed, experts suggest trying the following exercise:

Step 1 - Choose a keyword: Find a neutral word, one that does not carry strong emotions and has no repeating letters. For example: the word "SLEEP".

Step 2 - List and imagine: Start with the first letter (S, from "SLEEP"). Think of words beginning with S (e.g., Sun, Star, Sea...). For each word, spend 5-15 seconds clearly visualizing that image in your mind (for example: imagine you are watching the sun set over the sea).

Step 3 - Switch letters: When you cannot think of any more words starting with S, move to the next letter (L, from "SLEEP") and repeat the visualization process (e.g., Lake, Lion, Light...). Continue with the remaining letters until you fall asleep.

"Do not try to find a logical connection between the words. Let the images appear naturally and disjointedly, like a shuffled deck of cards", professor Beaudoin noted.

Research by Beaudoin and his colleagues shows this method is as effective as "anxiety journaling" therapy. Its advantage is that you can perform it in bed in the dark without needing paper, a pen, or a phone screen.

Doctor Sara Benjamin, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center, highly praises this technique for its safety and lack of side effects. It is particularly suitable for those experiencing racing thoughts syndrome.

However, experts emphasize that this technique is not a "magic bullet". For individuals with chronic insomnia, applying specialized cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-I) and screening for underlying conditions like thyroid disorders or sleep apnea syndrome remains a top priority.

Nhat Minh (According to The Washington Post)