Trouble Falling Asleep?

Cognitive shuffling is a mental exercise that involves focusing your mind on words that have no association with one another, as a way of signaling to your brain that it’s time to fall asleep. The task is meant to be engaging enough to distract you from the thoughts that may be impeding sleep, but not so interesting that your brain perks up.

You start by taking a random word — “Pluto,” for example. Then think of as many words as you can that begin with the same first letter, like so: “Plane, poodle, play, peaches.” When you run out of “P” words, you can move on to the next letter of your original word, which is “L,” and do the same thing: “Love, light, lemur, linger.” Take a second or so to visualize each word.

Research suggests that when people naturally drift off, their minds are often peppered with vivid images or distant thoughts, said Luc P. Beaudoin, a cognitive scientist and adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada who developed the cognitive shuffling technique. The goal is to help your mind mimic that process, he added.

“These images don’t create a clear story line and may help your brain to disengage from problem solving or worry loops,” said Dr. Beaudoin, who markets an app based on the technique.

There’s not enough evidence to support using cognitive shuffling as a primary treatment for insomnia, said Dr. Jorge I. Mora, the associate chief of clinical affairs in the division of sleep medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

But there is no harm in giving cognitive shuffling a try, provided that it is used as a complement to evidence-based methods, experts said.

If you try cognitive shuffling and it isn’t working and you’re getting frustrated — or if you’re no sleepier after 20 minutes — Dr. Harris, a clinical psychologist  who specializes in behavioral sleep medicine, recommended getting up and finding something else to calm your mind.  She suggested doing a quiet activity in dim light — like stretching, coloring or working on a jigsaw puzzle — and then returning to bed when you feel sleepy.  “I even read old cookbooks — I collect them — and earmark things I eventually want to make,” Dr. Harris said. “It helps pass the time and acts as a place holder for the busy brain.”