Dr. Amir Khan, an NHS GP and ITV doctor, has shared a medically proven sleep technique that promises to help people fall asleep faster. The method, called cognitive shuffling, involves distracting the brain with simple mental tasks to calm anxious thoughts.
Khan explained the technique on his podcast "No Appointment Necessary." He said: "If you really want a helpful technique to get off to sleep, there's this thing that we use in medicine. It's called cognitive shuffling." The approach gives the brain random, non-stressful things to focus on.
How it works
The method works by going through the alphabet mentally. "Cognitive shuffling just gives your brain random things to think about that aren't stressful and can be quite calming. The best thing to do is to go through the letters of the alphabet. Start with the letter A, think of all the names beginning with A, then move on to B, then move on to C. I promise you," Khan explained. This simple distraction helps reduce mental noise that prevents sleep.
The timing is relevant. Around one in three UK adults experience sleep difficulties, with nearly 30 percent reporting poor sleep quality. Almost three-quarters fail to achieve the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
Scientific backing
Cognitive scientist Luc Beaudoin developed the technique. A 2016 pilot study showed promising results for people with racing thoughts. Beaudoin noted: "We have found that cognitive shuffling is as effective as other techniques that have been tested against".
Listeners have reported positive results. One person commented: "Amir, my sleeping pattern is terrible... thought I'd give it a go, wow it worked like magic. I can definitely recommend it. [...]" Another added: "I do this with fruit, veg, boys names, girls names, countries etc, it does work."
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
