Towards a somnolent information-processing theory: Understanding the human sleep-onset control system from an integrative design-oriented perspective

Falling asleep is a crucial transition in mental and brain states. The brain's regulation of sleep onset is complex, significant and not fully understood. This paper proposes a theory of the human sleep onset control system (SOCS) from an integrative design-oriented perspective, considering the interactions of consciousness, emotion, mood, and repetitive thought. The paper presents six theoretical postulates towards a somnolent information processing (SIP) theory. Additionally, it presents a cognitive technique based on SIP, namely  cognitive shuffling, aimed at facilitating sleep onset under conditions of light insomnolence. This integrative approach may lead to a better understanding of SOCS, advances in related research domains, and new cognitive strategies to improve sleep onset.