I tried this technique for about five nights when I was going through a particularly stressful period, and honestly, it made me feel more awake, not less. The deliberate eye movement seemed to activate my brain rather than calm it--I'd lie there rolling my eyes around and suddenly start thinking about all the things I hadn't done that day. I gave up because I realized I was creating more mental stimulation when what I actually needed was to quiet my mind; I went back to my breath work and gratitude practice before bed, which helps me address the root cause of my restlessness rather than just trying to trick my body into sleep.
I tried it for about 5 nights when I was dealing with 2-3 AM wake-ups last fall during a particularly stressful stretch of builds. Between coordinating subcontractors, managing material deliveries, and mentally walking through the next day's framing work, my brain wouldn't shut off. The eye-rolling made me feel ridiculous and actually more awake. I'd be lying there doing these movements thinking "this is stupid" while also running through whether we ordered enough Wausau windows for the next project. It turned into this weird performance where I was both trying to relax AND judging myself for how dumb it felt. I gave up after less than a week because it added mental clutter instead of clearing it. What actually works for me is praying through specific Scripture verses--the repetition and focus on something outside my to-do list calms my mind way better than any physical technique. I'll cycle through Philippians 4:6-7 or Psalm 23 until my brain stops planning the next build. **Seth Yingling, Brown County, IL--custom home builder, hands-on with every project, "can't stop planning construction sequences" sleeper**
I tried it for about a week straight last winter when I was dealing with middle-of-the-night wake-ups around 3 AM. Running a 24/7 emergency garage door service means my phone can ring anytime, so my brain's always half-listening for problems even when I'm off duty. The eye-rolling thing didn't help--it just made me hyper-aware of trying to force something to happen. I'd lie there doing the movements, then get annoyed that I was still awake, then check my phone to see if any emergency calls came in. It became another task on my mental checklist instead of actual rest. I ditched it after realizing it was making me *more* focused on being awake. What works better is keeping a small notepad by the bed--if I wake up thinking about a tricky spring tension issue or a commercial door problem, I scribble it down in the dark. Getting it out of my head onto paper lets me actually drift back off. **David Sands, Twin Cities Metro Area, MN--owner of family garage door company since 2001, on-call for emergencies, "can't stop troubleshooting" type sleeper**
I tried it for about a week straight when I was dealing with middle-of-the-night wake-ups tied to business stress--worrying about whether an insurance claim would go through or if a customer's frame repair was going to meet their timeline. The eye-rolling thing just made me hyper-aware of my eyes and face, which made me more awake instead of relaxed. What killed it for me was that it turned into another task I had to perform correctly. I'd be lying there thinking "am I doing this right? How many circles? Should I go faster?" Meanwhile, I'm also mentally reviewing the next day's paint jobs and wondering if a parts order came in. It added pressure instead of releasing it. I gave up because it felt forced and made my mind race even more. What actually works for me is getting up for 10-15 minutes and doing something mindless with my hands--like organizing small tools in the shop or wiping down a workbench. The physical reset without screens helps my brain stop spinning through tomorrow's collision repairs. **Alan Choi, Hayward, CA--auto body shop owner, "can't stop running through repair schedules at 3 AM" type**
I tried it for 3-4 nights when I was dealing with middle-of-the-night anxiety about a major tenant audit deadline. I manage a business center with a lot of attorney clients who need absolute accuracy on their licensing and mail compliance--so when something's off, my mind won't quit at 2 a.m. The eye-rolling made me hyper-aware of being awake. Instead of drifting off, I'd be mentally tracking "okay, roll left, now right, now up"--it turned into a task list, which is exactly what my brain does NOT need more of. I felt more alert and oddly self-conscious, like I was performing a weird ritual that wasn't working. I gave up because it felt like I was adding another system to manage, and I already run on systems all day (CRM platforms, compliance checklists, scheduling). What actually works for me: I keep a small notepad on my nightstand and scribble down the one thing I'm worried about in terrible handwriting, then literally close the notebook. It's like filing it away for morning--my HR background taught me to document and move on. **Nancy Avila, Las Vegas, NV--Community Manager at an executive suites facility, chronic "mental tab hoarder" who wakes up thinking about business licensing deadlines**
I tried the eye-rolling technique for about 5-6 nights when I was dealing with pregnancy insomnia a few years back. Running a fourth-generation well drilling business means I'm often up thinking about job sites, permits, or emergency calls--my mind doesn't shut off easily. The technique actually made things worse for me. Rolling my eyes around in the dark made me dizzy and more alert, not relaxed. I'd end up frustrated and more awake than when I started, checking the clock every twenty minutes. I gave up after less than a week because it felt counterproductive. What actually works for me is getting out of bed entirely and doing something boring with my hands--like sorting paperwork or reviewing pump specs in dim light. My brain needs a task to wind down, not a relaxation exercise. **Chelsey Christensen, Springfield, OH--fourth-generation owner of family well drilling company, mom of young kids, chronic "brain won't shut off" sleeper**
I tried this eye-rolling thing for about 4-5 nights last month when I was in the thick of managing three major installation projects simultaneously across Chicagoland. I'd wake up around 2 a.m. thinking about logistics--whether my crew had the right Pella hardware for the Oak Park job, if the Andersen shipment would arrive on time for the Lincoln Park project. The technique made me *more* awake, not less. Moving my eyes around in the dark made me hyper-aware of being awake--like I was actively *doing* something instead of drifting off. It turned trying to sleep into a task, which is exactly what my brain doesn't need at 2 a.m. I gave up after realizing I was lying there calculating how many rolls I'd done instead of actually relaxing. What works for me is boring podcast episodes about topics I don't care about--nothing related to construction, business, or home improvement. I need my brain occupied with something that doesn't trigger my work mode. My sleep issues are always schedule-related--20 years of coordinating installation crews means I'm used to early calls and last-minute changes, so my brain stays in "alert mode" even when it shouldn't. **Steve Mlynek, Chicago, IL--CEO of window/door installation company, chronic early-riser dealing with multi-project management stress**
I tried that eye-rolling sleep hack for three nights and the only thing it did was make me feel like I was auditioning for a horror movie. It felt unnatural, and I'd become more awake trying to "do it right." I dropped it on night four and went back to something that works for me: journaling one paragraph about the day and one thing I'm grateful for. That short reflection helps me mentally close the day and ease into rest.
Before giving up, I tried the trick for a week. Every night, I'd roll my eyes like I was summoning sleep itself, but all I summoned was mild dizziness and annoyance. My brain took the "technique" as another task to perform, which kept me alert. What actually works is putting my phone in another room and playing quiet ambient noise—just enough sound to keep my mind from spiraling.
I tried it for about a week during a brutal lease-up period last year when I'd wake up at 3 AM obsessing over unit exposure rates and ad spend allocation. The eye-rolling thing just made me hyper-aware of my physical state--suddenly I'm tracking my eye movements instead of drifting off, and now I'm thinking about whether I'm doing it "right" on top of stressing about our 50% reduction targets. It completely backfired because it added another task to optimize. My brain treats everything like a campaign metric, so instead of relaxing I'm evaluating whether this technique is working after night three, night five--basically running an A/B test on my own sleep. That's the opposite of what I needed. What actually works is dumping everything in my head into a notes app the second I wake up. I'll bullet out "check Digible dashboard," "review UTM tracking for Chicago property," "follow up on vendor contract"--whatever's spinning. Once it's externalized, my brain stops trying to hold onto it. I'm back asleep in 10-15 minutes because the data is captured and I'm not worried about forgetting something critical for the morning. **Gunnar Blakeway-Walen, Minneapolis area--Marketing Manager overseeing $2.9M budget across 3,500+ units, "treats sleep like a conversion funnel" insomniac**