Paradoxical Intention

(Image by Mikael Haggstrom)

Can’t sleep no matter how hard you try?  Then turn it around and “try as hard as you can to stay awake.”  This paradoxical intention might send you off to dreamland within minutes.

No one knows exactly why this works, but it does.  Think about the times when you had to stay awake, no matter what.  Were you barreling down the highway, trying to make it home by dawn? Were you cramming for a final exam?  Were you suddenly called in to work the night shift?

The harder you fought to stay awake, the more you longed to lay your head on a soft pillow.  Call it reverse psychology - call it what you will, but try it the next time you’re tossing and turning for way too long.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/this-insomnia-cure-is-so-weird-it-just-might-work/ar-AAyUsJD?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=BHEA000

Copyright June 23, 2018 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved