Using ear plugs to block out your partner’s snoring and investing in the best mattress might be common advice for improving sleep, but more unusual nighttime trends are on the rise. People are turning to everything from lettuce water to bed rotting to enhance their rest Men were slightly more likely than women to try a sleep hack, while younger people (aged 18-24) were significantly more likely to attempt a trend than those aged 65+. Bed rotting was the most popular hack of the survey, across all generations. ‘Sleep hacks’ are social media trends that champion simple ways to get better rest, often by ‘hacking’ the system — taking advantage of your sleep cycle quirks over prioritizing a bedtime routine. Most sleep hacks are eye catching and easy, a way to improve your sleep without the work of developing a complex sleep hygiene system. They also tend to be quick, so can fit into a busy lifestyle with minimal disruption to your day to day. And they tend to be quirky. Or, at least, more interesting than an early bedtime. Mouth taping is an unusual sleep hack that gained popularity after taking off on TikTok. The intention is by taping your mouth shut you breath through your nose, reducing snoring and preventing bad breath. Mouth taping has received some mixed responses from sleep experts, and it’s best avoided by anyone with a blocked nose or a history of asthma or respiratory issues. Bed rotting might have an unappealing name, but this is one of the most popular sleep hacks on TikTok. It essentially refers to the practice of staying in bed to relax, unwind, and do anything other than sleep in order to refresh and reset after a long week. We asked Maryanne Taylor, a sleep consultant from The Sleep Works, her thoughts on bed rotting. She had this to say: “Spending too much time lying in bed awake can reinforce the association between bed and wakefulness, making it harder to fall asleep in bed when we actually want to.” This is one trend to avoid. Sleep hacks’ themselves aren’t inherently dangerous, but there are enough hacks out there that it’s hard to make a blanket statement about their safety. Some, like the Scandinavian sleep method, come with minimal risks. Others, such as mouth taping, can be dangerous if not used correctly.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Is TikTok The New Bedtime Story New Survey Shows Americans Are Embracing Viral Sleep Hacks
