A medical expert has revealed a straightforward method to help those who frequently find themselves waking up at 3am get back to sleep.
Experiencing interrupted sleep can be highly aggravating, particularly when you have an early start for work. The cycle of tossing and turning can seem endless, and by the time you finally manage to rest again, it may be mere moments before your alarm signals the start of a new day.
It’s not unusual to awaken at this hour, and television doctor Amir Khan has offered some advice to help you return to sleep during these early morning moments.
In a video he posted on Instagram, Dr. Khan, known for his appearances on ITV morning and daytime shows, stated: “Guys, I shared a reel about why people wake up at 3am in the morning, and hundreds of thousands of people have watched it, but lots of people have asked ‘well, what do you do when you wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning? How do you get back off to sleep?’
He introduced a technique called cognitive shuffling, emphasizing the importance of sleep for health.
Dr. Khan explained, “But what if you just can’t get off to sleep because your brain won’t let you? Imagine it. Everyone else is asleep, the house is quiet, you’re lying there in bed, but your mind won’t stop churning out stressful thoughts.
“Work, money, kids, planning, scheduling, problem solving. Your brain is too active to let you sleep. In fact, the stress of all these thoughts tells the brain it’s not safe to sleep, and you have to stay on high alert.”
Instead of counting sheep, Dr. Khan suggested trying a different strategy to help facilitate sleep.
He further explained, “It’s called cognitive shuffling, and the idea is it interrupts your racing mind, and instead scrambles your thoughts, inviting your brain to go into sleep mode, and assuring it that it is safe to sleep.”
To practice cognitive shuffling, begin by selecting a random word and concentrate on its first letter. From there, think of several words that start with that letter.
Visualize each of these words as you go through the list, then proceed to the next letter of your chosen word and repeat the process.
Working your way through each letter should ideally help you fall back asleep quickly.