As parents, we’re no strangers to broken sleep. Whether you’re woken by a baby, anxious about your child, or lying awake thinking about tomorrow’s to-do list — poor sleep becomes part of the job. But it doesn’t have to be.
One reason many parents become bad sleepers is because of how their minds behave at night. If your brain kicks into overdrive with worries or plans the moment your head hits the pillow, you're not alone.
Why We Struggle to Sleep
According to Canadian cognitive scientist Luc P. Beaudoin, what separates good sleepers from poor ones is the nature of their pre-sleep thoughts.
- Poor sleepers often dwell on stressful thoughts — planning, worrying, replaying the day.
- Good sleepers, in contrast, naturally slip into a more random, dream-like thought state before dozing off.
This insight led Beaudoin to develop a simple technique called cognitive shuffling, designed to mimic that sleepy, unstructured mental state.
What Is Cognitive Shuffling?
Cognitive shuffling is a method that gently redirects your brain away from anxious or “anti-sleep” thoughts and toward more neutral, calming, and imaginative ones — the kind that naturally lull you into sleep.
Think of it as mentally shuffling a deck of random, peaceful thoughts until your brain loses focus and lets you drift off.
How To Do the Cognitive Shuffle
Give yourself 5–15 minutes, follow these steps in bed, and see what happens:
1. Get comfortable
Lie down in a relaxed position and settle in.
2. Choose a random word
Pick a neutral, easy-to-visualise word with at least five letters — e.g. “water,” “plant,” or “cloud.”
3. Spell it out
In your mind, spell the word slowly. Then, for each letter, think of a new word starting with that letter.
For example, from WATER:
- W – wheel
- A – avocado
- T – tree
- E – envelope
- R – rainbow
4. Visualise each word
Take your time. Picture each word clearly in your mind. Imagine the object, its colour, shape, or feel.
This gentle “mental wandering” mimics the natural mind drift that happens just before sleep.
Why It Works
Cognitive shuffling works by keeping your brain too occupied to ruminate on stressful thoughts, but not so engaged that it stays alert. It’s a bit like daydreaming — only at night, and with a purpose.
You might not even finish your shuffle before you’re fast asleep.
Not Working? Try Something Else
If cognitive shuffling doesn’t do the trick for you, don’t worry. Other parent-friendly sleep tools include:
- Sleep meditations
- Breathing exercises
- Writing a “worry list” before bed
- Practising mindfulness or body scans
The key is consistency — and finding what works for your unique mind.
Final Thought:
Sleep is essential, but it doesn’t have to be elusive. Techniques like cognitive shuffling give parents a simple, screen-free way to reclaim some rest — no matter how busy or stressful life gets.
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