Episode overview
A practical routine for getting back to sleep
In this episode, I start with the moment you realise you are properly awake. Most people either stay in bed getting increasingly angry or reach for their phone. I have done both. Neither creates the calm conditions we are looking for.
The first step is to acknowledge the situation without adding a story: okay, I am awake. No clock-checking, no calculations and no predictions about tomorrow. The demand to fall asleep immediately creates the opposite of relaxation. Replacing that demand with I am just resting quietly changes the task.
I then explain cognitive shuffling, a technique that gives the brain a series of random, disconnected images. Choose a letter and picture unrelated things beginning with it, such as a boat, banana, bench, bottle and the colour blue. The point is to occupy attention without building another meaningful story around work, money or an argument from earlier in the day.
A body scan offers another neutral focus. Move your attention slowly from your feet through your legs, stomach, hands, shoulders and jaw. If silence makes your thoughts louder, a calm hypnosis or guided relaxation recording can provide a voice to follow without asking you to construct the next step yourself.
If frustration becomes hot and heavy, leave the bed briefly. Keep the lights low, sit somewhere comfortable and do something deliberately uninteresting until sleepiness returns. Do not turn 3:00 AM into bonus office hours. Working, checking your inbox or doom-scrolling can make being awake feel productive and rewarding.
Finally, choose one approach and use it consistently. Moving from one sleep hack to another every night keeps your attention fixed on whether sleep is working. A simple, familiar response gives you a better chance to settle without making every waking a new experiment.