A simple mental exercise known as “cognitive shuffling” is gaining traction as a drug-free strategy to calm the overactive brain and induce sleep. Generate as many words as possible that begin with the first letter of the original word (e.g., “Plane, poodle, play, peaches”). When that letter is exhausted, move to the next letter of the original word (e.g., “L” for “Love, light, lemur, linger”). Participants who used both methods were more likely to rate cognitive shuffling as the more helpful and easier tool. Despite the need for further research, experts agree there is no harm in trying cognitive shuffling as a complement to other evidence-based methods.

Source: New York Times March 08, 2026 13:01 UTC