Insomnia is becoming more and more a disease of civilization. World Health Organization data shows that every third of the world’s adults do not sleep enough. In Poland, sleep problems affect approximately 50 percent of people. the people — At the end of the last century, the percentage was less than 30 percent. General fatigue and sleepiness are not the only problems associated with insomnia, they can seriously affect our health. Currently, after headaches and anxiety disorders, it is the third most common cause of illness among nervous system diseases for which patients consult doctors.
The causes of sleep problems vary. Aside from neurological causes, many people complain of a nighttime “vortex of thoughts” – despite their best intentions, they are unable to silence them and sleep peacefully.
Dr. Luke. Beaudoin of Simon Fraser University in California found a solution. He developed the concept of “cognitive modification.” In short, it allows you to “trick” your brain and fall asleep faster.
Fill your brain with nonsense
Paying attention to your breathing or counting sheep is the most common advice to help you sleep. Although it may be helpful sometimes, it is unlikely to work for people who are “overwhelmed” by fears or unable to break away from the cycle of thoughts. Beaudoin has another idea – he recommends trying to occupy your mind with nonsense.
When we sleep, fragments of loose images and thoughts often come to the fore – Beaudoin calls them “little dreams.” Often our awareness gradually releases and we drift off into sleep. This is exactly what “cognitive modification” is all about.
How to apply the Baudouin method in practice?
The researcher is advised to think about things that have nothing in common. The sequence shouldn’t make any sense. However, it is important to visualize the things you have thought about.
It could be, for example, the following sequence of words: bread, table, bird, wallpaper, cheese, bike, tie, etc. You should do this until you finally fall asleep.
Why does this method work? By filling our heads with “nonsense,” Beaudoin explains, we speed up the sleep process. The brain has difficulty focusing on several things at the same time. When we imagine what a piece of cheese looks like, we also can’t think about daily stress.
If we need help finding random words, we can use a simple trick – think of a word with several letters, then come up with a new word that starts with each letter of that word. Example: tape. The following words could be: cat, bicycle, safety pin, notebook. It is important to visualize everything carefully. This will help you “silence” the cycle of thoughts or distract your mind from them and “drift” into sleep.
The key: the right habits
The “cognitive modification” method is a customized procedure aimed at facilitating sleep. Proper habits for creating proper sleep hygiene are also extremely important. Maybe someone will develop a routine to stabilize our biological clock.
Getting up at the same or similar time every day and going to bed when you feel sleepy, going out every day — preferably within an hour after waking up, and in the late afternoon — reading every day before going to bed. These are just some habits that can help solve sleep problems.
The conditions in which we sleep also play a big role. Experts advise darkening the room and ensuring the appropriate temperature – it cannot be too high, because in order for the body to sleep effectively, the body must lower its temperature by 1-3 degrees.
Speaking of habits, The 3-2-1 rule may also be useful. It assumes that if we want to fall asleep easily and get a good night’s sleep, we should finish work at least three hours before going to bed, stop eating two hours before, and turn off all screens one hour before going to bed. At this point, you can reach for a book that will help you calm down and relax, thus preparing your body for a night’s rest.
Echo Richards embodies a personality that is a delightful contradiction: a humble musicaholic who never brags about her expansive knowledge of both classic and contemporary tunes. Infuriatingly modest, one would never know from a mere conversation how deeply entrenched she is in the world of music. This passion seamlessly translates into her problem-solving skills, with Echo often drawing inspiration from melodies and rhythms. A voracious reader, she dives deep into literature, using stories to influence her own hardcore writing. Her spirited advocacy for alcohol isn’t about mere indulgence, but about celebrating life’s poignant moments.
