Yahoo News Doctor shares simple brain game that people should play to fall asleep quickly
Insomnia, as well as other sleep disorders, affect around one in every three people say the NHS - and while there are a number of proven ways to wind down, some people may find that it's simply not doing it for them. Reducing scree time, taking a relaxing hot bath and drinking camomile tea are just some of the popular suggestions that you may have tried - but what do you do when nothing at all works?
Well Dr Scott Walter has shared a method that you may not have heard of, and it includes playing a little game in your head. Taking to TikTok to share his advice, he said: "Say goodbye to the Sunday Scaries and fall asleep quickly with this doctor approved sleep hack," dubbing it a 'total game-changer'.
He added: "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. 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."
The Mirror reports that the doctor explained that it's a way to 'rearrange or reorganise your thoughts', citing that it is 'similar to shuffling a deck of cards'. He added that this 'distracts our minds from conscious thought patterns' that keep us awake on a night.
Dr Scott said that there are a few different ways that people can perform a cognitive shuffle, describing how you could think of random words or objects. He said: "For example, cow, leaf, sandwich, butter, liver, things like that. Just random things that make no sense.
He also said you can pick a letter and then count your heartbeat. He said: "On every eight beats, you think of a word that begins with that letter."
Dr Scott said that doing this 'mimics' micro dreams, which 'occur during the transition of sleep'. And if this expert approved hack doesn't work for you, then fear not - as people rushed to the comments section to share their own methods. One person, wrote: "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."
