The human brain is like an electrified sphere, considered the most complex object in the universe. Sometimes, don’t you wish it would just quiet down, especially at night?
One common symptom of insomnia is a racing mind when trying to sleep. Our brains bounce thoughts around like a pinball machine due to caffeine, anxiety, or stress.
This mental perturbation includes repetitive negative thoughts that we may not even be aware of, focusing on mistakes and worrying about the future.
While this is challenging for those with mental health conditions, it affects everyone when overwhelmed with tasks or life challenges.
Psychologist Dr. Luc Beaudoin believes that cognitive shuffle, a technique that mimics the brain’s natural processes during sleep onset, can help control runaway thoughts while trying to sleep.
The cognitive shuffle involves imagining unrelated images, like a photo show, to bring light structure to racing thoughts. By focusing on connecting images related to a chosen word, it aims to quiet the mind before falling asleep.
Cognitive shuffling strikes a balance between conscious and unconscious thoughts, keeping unwanted thoughts at bay without overwhelming executive functioning.
Dr. Beaudoin’s broader sleep initiation theory, Somnolent Information Processing, explores factors that help or hinder the process, with spiritual perturbation as a common hindrance.
Cognitive shuffling is still under research, but promising results suggest it can aid sleep initiation along with other scientifically proven techniques.
About our experts
Dr. Luc Beaudoin is an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University and founder of Cogsest. He has published books on cognitive productivity and is recognized in various academic journals.
Source: www.sciencefocus.com
