Try this counter-intuitive trick if you’re struggling to fall asleep

Some lucky people will find themselves out like a light as soon as their head hits the pillow at night. Others will be tossing and turning, replaying the day’s events, counting sheep and watching the hours tick away as they struggle to fall asleep. Thankfully there are tips and hacks aplenty to practice better sleep health, and handy trick might be just what you need.

Have you tried to, just stay up? We know it sounds totally counter-intuitive but it seems there is method in the madness. A technique called paradoxical intention has been in the works since the 1930s, usually used to treat anxiety disorders, but it can also be utilised for better sleep – you just have to tell yourself you’re not falling asleep and not put any pressure on yourself to drift off.

Paradoxical intention is an accepted psychological technique for treating insomnia. It was first named by the Psychologist Victor Frankl in 1939. He believed to treat anxiety we need to face the fear of whatever it is that is making us anxious. As well as anxiety and insomnia, the technique is also used to treat OCD, anorexia and many different phobias.

For insomnia, the theory is that when we get into bed and try to go to sleep, the pressure of trying to sleep, causes anxiety. This switches on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) – the body’s ‘fight, fright and flight system’ which is the response needed for the body to flee from danger.

The anxiety of trying to sleep then puts you on high alert, something that isn’t helped if you keep glancing at the clock. However, you can lull yourself into a sleep by telling yourself to do the opposite. We spoke to Dr Deborah Lee, sleep expert from Doctor Fox, who tells us about how to practice paradoxical intention, and activate your PSNS instead of the SNS nervous system.

1. Go to bed and lie in the dark with your eyes open. 2. Don’t make any effort to fall asleep. 3. Don’t let yourself worry about being awake. 4. When you feel your eyes closing for sleep, try not to let this happen for a few more minutes. Don’t over do this. You will fall asleep when the brain is ready.

5. The principle is to allow yourself to be awake and just allow sleep to come naturally. Dr Lee tells Metro: ‘If you get into bed and tell yourself you must stay awake, funnily enough the opposite happens, and the parasympathetic pathway (PSNS,) the body’s main rest and relaxation pathway is activated.

‘The PSNS is the dominant autonomic nervous system in operation when we sleep. Your natural sleep drive takes over and you find yourself falling asleep. ‘The key principle is that you need to be convinced that it’s fine to be lying there awake and that sleep will come. If you don’t buy into the exercise, it won’t work.’.

While more tests need to be carried out, in 2002 a study concluded that paradoxical intention was better at reducing sleep-related anxiety than other passive methods of trying to induce sleep. In some studies, the effects of paradoxical intention on insomnia led to large improvements in insomnia symptoms.

Dr Lee notes that there a myriad of reasons why someone may be having trouble dozing off and that it’s worth interrogating what these are. She also warns that paradoxical intention alone might not be enough, as you’ll also need to be practicing good sleep health.

‘Sleep and falling asleep are complex,’ she explains. ‘Many of us are kept awake by all sorts of issues such as noise, overheating, an uncomfortable bed, night-time allergies and worrisome thoughts. ‘Paradoxical intention can’t fix everything! It’s only likely to work if you practise good sleep hygiene, with all these variables corrected, and a set bedtime and getting up time.’.

But given that the brain is so powerful, you could run the risk of manifesting the assertion that you won’t fall asleep and end up staying up. The expert adds that while you might not get the technique right straight away, don’t put pressure on yourself and don’t give up – come back to it.

‘Learning to control our thoughts is a crucial part of going to sleep. By facing up to what we dread, we are normalising the situation. Each time we go through it, it feels a little less frightening. How to eat your way to a better night’s sleep. ‘Paradoxical intention is not a quick fix and it works little by little, over time. If you find it isn’t working, go back to basics and address all the key issues for sleep hygiene. Work on increasing your natural sleep drive by not napping during the day, taking exercise during the day and going to bed a bit later when you feel tired.’.

Do you have a story to share?. Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk. Arrow MORE: Child psychologist shares ‘radical’ bedtime tip for parents. Arrow MORE: Woman with fear of spiders shares unique sleeping method to keep critters away. Arrow MORE: I flew all the way to Australia and avoided jetlag — here’s how.