Can Cognitive Shuffling Help You Sleep?

If you struggle to sleep, a technique making the rounds on TikTok may help. It’s known as cognitive shuffling, and it involves thinking of a series of items to help you fall asleep.

Cognitive shuffling mimics how your brain naturally functions when you doze off, making it a natural remedy for sleep issues and a valuable part of a nighttime relaxation routine.

“Cognitive shuffling is a mental technique designed to help you fall asleep by jumbling your thoughts in a way that distracts your brain from stress and worry,” says Pittsburgh-based licensed clinical psychologist Leah Kaylor, PhD, author of If Sleep Were a Drug. This mimics the random thought patterns your brain falls into as you drift off to sleep, helping to ease the transition from wakefulness to rest.

For instance, you might think of unrelated, emotionally neutral words or images like “apple, ladder, cloud, spoon,” in no particular order. Consider a “stem” word (the word you use to begin cognitive shuffling) that has no emotional weight or personal significance, says Sultan. This will reduce cognitive effort, helping you wind down.

The study followed 154 university students who experienced racing thoughts at bedtime. Researchers randomly assigned them to try a technique based on cognitive shuffling, a structured problem-solving technique, or a combination of both, then they measured the sleep effects after one week and again at one month.

While the sample size of 154 college students is limited, the results suggest that the cognitive task based on the principles of cognitive shuffling is effective for reducing pre-bedtime wakefulness, says Ryan Sultan, MD, a psychiatrist and the research and medical director at Integrative Psych, a psychiatric practice in New York City.

“The best time to try cognitive shuffling is when your mind won’t stop racing, especially when you’re lying in bed awake for more than 15 to 20 minutes, or if you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep,” says Dr. Kaylor.

In fact, cognitive shuffling can even be beneficial in a non-sleep context, adds Sultan. It may help alleviate intrusive thoughts during moments of high stress, such as after a grueling day at work or during a stressful event.

If you try cognitive shuffling for four to five nights and still can’t fall asleep, it may not be the right tool for you. “Persistent difficulty falling asleep could point to other issues, such as a sleep disorder or a mental health condition,” says Avigail Lev, PsyD, licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Bay Area CBT Center, a cognitive behavioral therapy center in San Francisco,. In this instance, you may need more robust mental health therapies, medication, or a combination of both to see sleep improvements.

If you’ve gone several nights with little or no sleep, seek professional help to address potential underlying issues.

The appeal of cognitive shuffling lies mainly in its accessibility: You can do it anytime, even if you’re not in bed yet. Here are a few tips for practicing cognitive shuffling effectively:

1. Try the Letter Technique Think of a specific letter, then bring an image to mind of random items that start with that letter. “You could simply start with ‘B’ and generate words like ‘banana,’ ‘ball,’ or ‘boat,’ imagining each one vividly,” says Dr. Lev.
2. Use the Stem Word Technique Start with a neutral stem word like “chicken,” and then think of other words that start with “C,” such as “cat,” “carrot,” or “castle,” visualizing each. “You can also move to the last letter of the previous word and find a new word starting with that letter,” says Lev. “This randomness breaks up coherent thought patterns and shifts focus away from rumination.”
3. Try the Random Word Generator Technique Beaudoin, the author of the cognitive shuffling research paper, created the mySleepButton app. If you have trouble imagining words on your own, this app will play one random word after the next to help you fall asleep.
4. Get Detailed With Your Imagery To go to the next level, don’t just visualize a “beach” or “tree.” Get detailed for a more immersive experience. Think about a beach with the sound of crashing waves and gritty sand beneath your feet or a calm forest that smells like pine.

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5. Combine Relaxation Techniques If you’re too tired to think of words consistently, switch between cognitive shuffling and other relaxation techniques that can help you fall asleep, such as deep breathing.

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Talk to your doctor if your lack of sleep is disrupting your daytime routine or if you’ve struggled with sleep at least three times per week for three months (or longer), says Sultan.

• Cognitive shuffling is a technique that involves mentally shifting between unrelated thoughts to promote sleep.
• Research is still limited, but an early study of college students shows potential benefits in both accessibility and effectiveness.
• See your doctor if you experience persistent sleep disturbances more than three times a week for at least three months.