By doing everything to fall asleep, you could cause the opposite effect and experience insomnia. Paradoxical intention, a cognitive technique, could then intervene to facilitate falling asleep.
- Paradoxical intention is a technique used for several decades in psychotherapy, particularly in cases of sleep disorders.
- This method, which seems counterintuitive, is based on adopting the opposite attitude in order to obtain what you want.
- Keeping your eyes open might be helpful in making it easier to fall asleep.
We all know this feeling. All day long, we only dream of going to bed and when the time comes, we are unable to fall asleep. To make it easier to fall asleep, some influencers on the TikTok platform have recommended… trying to do everything possible not to fall asleep! This counterintuitive method is known as paradoxical intention.
Paradoxical intention: trying to control the sleep process prevents falling asleep
Recently popularized on TikTok, this technique has been used for several decades in psychotherapy. “Paradoxical intention is a long-standing treatment procedure (…) I carried out my first studies on paradoxical intention therapy in the 1980s”said Colin Espie, professor of sleep medicine at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford (UK), in an interview with ScienceFocus.
As the specialist explained: “LSleep is above all an involuntary process. Therefore, by trying to control it, you usually disrupt it.”. Results ? You can’t fall asleep. In the context of a sleep disorder, the goal of the paradoxical intention is to stay awake even when one feels ready to fall asleep. This approach consists of persuading yourself to adopt a behavior that you fear, in order to obtain what you want.
How to use paradoxical intention?
Several recommendations should be followed if you wish to begin the experience of paradoxical intention to facilitate your falling asleep. Initially, it is recommended to go to bed only when you feel the urge to sleep. Even though this advice seems obvious, you won’t be able to fall asleep if you don’t feel tired.
When it’s time to go to bed, get ready as you normally do. Turn off the light and lie down. However, keep your eyes open instead of closing them. At this point, there are different ways to use paradoxical intention. You can, while keeping your eyes open, think: “I’m not sleeping, I’m not sleeping, I’m not sleeping.” Challenges can also be put in place to keep yourself awake : “you may say to yourself ‘I’ll stay awake a little longer’ or ‘I’ll keep my eyes open for 10 more seconds’. Every time you feel your eyes closing, you say no”specified Colin Espie.
As the minutes pass, it becomes more and more difficult to keep my eyes open. You fight to keep them open instead of fighting to fall asleep. When you feel sleepy, stay calm and let it come gradually. Even if the paradoxical intention seems interesting for making it easier to fall asleep, it is not guaranteed that it will be effective for everyone!
