Do you have difficulty falling asleep? Test the “House Tour” technique

Can’t fall asleep easily at night? Try this tip, shared for several months on social networks: the “House Tour”. It was popularized by Emily Kessler, an American meditation coach. And promises to be effective in getting to sleep quickly.

What does the method consist of?

The “House Tour” consists of closing your eyes and imagining yourself walking through a house that you know well, but which is not yours. This mental walk, which will be full of details and memories, invites you to calm and appeasement.

Emily Kessler explains in this video shared on TikTok her favorite ritual: every evening, she immerses herself in her grandmother’s house, visualizing each room, each detail (like the color of the curtains or the details of the furniture), until she let yourself be carried away by sleep.

For her, this technique is unstoppable because it distracts attention from anxiety-provoking thoughts: “I never reached the floor of my grandmother’s house without falling asleep.” she assures.

A concept validated by sleep specialists

Interviewed by BFM, Dr Sylvie Royant-Parola, psychiatrist specializing in sleep disorders, explains that this method has proven itself. “Focusing on specific visual and sensory elements, like colors, textures or smells, helps calm an overactive mind by refocusing attention to a space of comfort and safety.”.

Directing your thoughts towards a reassuring environment helps prepare your body for sleep, avoiding ruminations and everyday concerns.

The same effects as a real walk

This is not the only positive point of this technique. According to Tania Taylor, psychotherapist specializing in the management of stress and anxiety disorders, interviewed by the magazine Stylistthis mental walk through a well-known house replicates some of the beneficial effects of an actual walk. “The rational brain knows that we are safe in bed, but our limbic system, responsible for emotions and automatic responses, reacts as if we were really taking this walk in a reassuring place. she specifies.

What to do if, despite everything, sleep does not come?

If you try this trick and after about twenty minutes you haven’t been able to fall asleep, it’s better to leave your bed to do a gentle activity, such as reading or listening to a podcast.

You can return to bed once the first signs of fatigue reappear. And why not start a second “House Tour”? You should then, this time, reach the arms of Morpheus without difficulty.

Slide: Sleep: How much sleep should we get based on our age?