Paradoxical intention
Stop trying to sleep, and gently stay awake instead. A quiet voice keeps you company, with long pauses. The screen goes dark almost straight away.
How to practise paradoxical intention
The interactive tool needs JavaScript. You can do it just as well on your own:
- Lie down as usual. Get into bed in the dark, in the position you normally sleep in.
- Let your eyes rest open. Keep your eyes gently open. Do not force them; just do not close them on purpose.
- Give up on sleep for now. Tell yourself, calmly, that you will stay awake a little longer. There is nothing to achieve tonight.
- Stay awake passively. Do nothing to keep yourself awake — no phone, no reading, no moving about. Simply lie there, awake, without effort.
- Notice thoughts about sleep. When a worry about not sleeping comes up, notice it, and return to the easy idea of staying awake.
- Get up if it turns into a struggle. If you have been awake for about twenty minutes and feel frustrated, get up and do something quiet in dim light until you feel sleepy.
Tap once for voice
Controls fade in a moment. Tap anywhere to bring them back.
Nothing is lost. Pick it up when you like.
Session complete.
Nothing was recorded. Put the phone down and let the room stay dark.
How paradoxical intention works
A lot of sleeplessness is effort: watching for signs of drowsiness, checking the time, counting the hours left. Paradoxical intention takes the goal away. You lie in the dark and let yourself stay awake, without doing anything to make it happen.
The tool speaks a short, calm line every half a minute to a minute (a little more often in the first two minutes), and leaves you alone in between. After the first line the screen fades to near-black, and it stops on its own when the session ends.
Read more in What is paradoxical intention?
Further reading
Questions
What is paradoxical intention?
Instead of trying to fall asleep, you lie in bed and passively try to stay awake. Taking away the goal takes away the pressure, which is what keeps some people up.
Do I have to do anything to stay awake?
No. Do nothing at all — no phone, no reading, no moving about. You simply stop trying to sleep and let yourself stay awake with your eyes gently open.
Why does the screen go dark so quickly?
The voice does the work. A bright screen would wake you further, so after the first prompt the display fades to near-black. Tap anywhere to see the controls again.
Which session length should I choose?
Fifteen minutes is a good place to start. If you are still awake and getting frustrated when it ends, get up for a while and come back when you feel sleepy.
Can I use it without the voice?
Yes. Turn off “Spoken aloud” and the prompts show on screen instead, fading more slowly so you can still read them.