Insomnia & 3 Ways to Fall Asleep

Insomnia is no fun, and it can negatively impact your quality of life, training and recovery. Next time you find yourself sleepless, here are 3 ways to fall gently back to sleep:

1) The “eye-rolling” or “eye-movement”

This sleep hack has been shown to reduce arousal, shift focus, and mimic early sleep brain states.

The eye movements that you make with your eyes closed also stimulate something called the “oculocardiac reflex. This nudges your vagus nerve, part of the parasympathetic nervous system which slows down the heart rate and deepens your breathing. It shifts you into a parasympathetic mode into the rest and digest state so you can get that deep, restorative sleep.

Here’s how to use eye movement to fall asleep:

1. Close your eyes.
2. Look up for two seconds.
3. Then look down for two seconds.
4. Look to the left for two seconds.
5. Look to the right for two seconds.
6. Go clockwise for two or three seconds.
7. Go counterclockwise for two or three seconds.
8. Open your eyes and look down at your nose as if you’re crosseyed for three seconds. Releasing those last inward eye movements when you’re looking down at your nose, will often make your eyelids feel heavier.

The eye movement technique combines muscle relaxation, cranial nerve stimulation, and nervous system downshifting to tell your brain that your alert system is powering down. 

2)  Cognitive Shuffling

This technique can help people switch off their busy brains. Cognitive shuffling, or “serial diverse imagining”, was developed by SFU Canada professor Luc P Beaudoin. 

Here’s how to use cognitive shuffling to fall asleep:

1. Think of a random, neutral word, for example, “apple”. 
2. Take the first letter of the word, in this case “A”, and visualize an item beginning with that letter. Be as detailed as you can in your imagination. Move the object around in your mind’s eye. 
3. Try another word starting with A, then another. 
4. Once you can’t think of any more words beginning with A, move on to the second letter. Then the third, and so on, until you feel sleepy. 

Cognitive shuffling diverts your attention from thoughts that interfere with falling asleep by mimicking the brain’s scattered, disconnected and random thought patterns that it naturally starts to generate as you fall asleep.

3) Body Scan

This meditation technique involves lying comfortably, closing your eyes, and systematically bringing awareness to each part of your body—from toes to head or vice versa—to release tension. 

Focus on relaxing muscles, notice sensations like warmth, and use slow breathing to calm the mind and body. 

1. Lie on your back in bed, arms at your sides, palms down.
2. Take deep breaths, letting your body settle into the mattress.
3. Focus: Start at your toes. Focus on them for 20-30 seconds, observing sensations (tingling, warmth) without trying to change anything, simply letting them soften.
4. Scan: Gradually move up through the body: ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips, stomach, back, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, and face.
5. Release: As you focus on each area, actively imagine releasing tension. Use each exhale to let go.
6. Repeat: If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the last body part you were focusing on. 
7. If you reach your head and are still awake, start over, repeating the scan until relaxed and sleepy. 

Focusing attention on different body parts triggers the parasympathetic nervous system (“rest and digest”) to lower heart rate and cortisol levels, helping you feel sleepy.

Next time you wake up in the middle of the night dealing with insomnia, try eye movement, cognitive shuffling, or a body scan meditation to guide your mind and body to a deeper, more restful sleep. 

Tara Donovan Tara D CPT