There are days when sleep just won't come.

Your body feels heavy with fatigue, yet the moment you close your eyes, your mind becomes even more alert.

In such moments, you might hear advice to count sheep, but when you actually try it, counting up to 50 is manageable, but once you hit 100, you start to think, "What am I doing right now?" and it often leads to more frustration.

Recently, there's been talk about a method to hack your brain: if you close your eyes and keep your gaze slightly upward, your brain will recognize that you're in a sleeping state and help you fall asleep.

Honestly, it sounds a bit silly. The idea that simply looking upward can trick the brain feels somewhat absurd.

However, this method isn't entirely baseless.

The key is to intentionally create a state that resembles how your body naturally appears when falling asleep.

Just before falling asleep or entering deep sleep, your eyes naturally move upward or become less active.

This isn't a conscious action; it's an automatic response that occurs as your nervous system relaxes.

So, conversely, if you can intentionally create that state, your body may enter a relaxed state more quickly.

If you try it, you can feel some effect. Close your eyes and gently position your gaze upward.

The important part here is to do it "gently." If you forcefully lift your eyes, it can create tension in your eyes and make your mind even more alert.

That can lead to a truly frustrating situation.

The actual effect of this method is simple. It helps reduce visual stimuli and stabilize the muscles around the eyes, lowering the brain's level of alertness.

In other words, it's more about "preparing the body for sleep" rather than a "sleep-inducing technique."

So, is this method more effective than counting sheep? It varies from person to person.

The counting method disperses distracting thoughts through repetition. However, if other thoughts keep intruding while counting, its effectiveness diminishes. You might even find yourself getting more annoyed by wondering, "How long do I have to keep counting?"

On the other hand, maintaining your eye position may be slightly more advantageous for reducing thoughts.

This is because it blocks visual input and stabilizes the eyes, quieting the brain.

For those with many thoughts, this method might suit them better.

However, if you expect to fall asleep immediately with just this one technique, you might be disappointed. Sleep isn't a simple issue that can be solved by just eye position. Factors like body temperature, breathing, stress, caffeine intake, and daily activity all play a role.

To see results, it's best to combine this with other techniques. Close your eyes and keep your gaze slightly upward while taking slow, deep breaths. Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds and exhale for about 6 seconds, repeating this process to help your body relax much faster.

And the most important thing is not to force yourself to sleep. The stronger the thought that you must sleep, the more awake your brain will try to be. In such cases, it's much better to approach it with the mindset of just "resting."

In summary, the method of closing your eyes and looking upward isn't completely wrong. It can indeed help relax the body and create a favorable state for falling asleep. However, the explanation that the brain is tricked into sleeping is somewhat exaggerated.

Some people may find counting sheep more effective, while others may prefer this method. Ultimately, the important thing is to find what works best for you.

If you get too fixated on one method and end up tossing and turning without sleep, it can lead to a more frustrating night.

Instead, trying out various methods lightly can be a much more realistic approach, so I hope you try one at a time when sleep eludes you.