Try Out These 7 TikTok Sleep Hacks Which Are Scientifically Proven to Work

Instead of Googling for beauty tips, recipes, and OOTD ideas, Gen Z now tends to turn to TikTok for answers. Although most advice on social media should usually be taken with a grain of salt as they aren’t usually from medical professionals, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that some TikTok hacks are actually backed by science according to a study.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, research findings show that out of 35 unique sleep tips shared in popular videos, 29 generally work well. They transcribed the most-viewed TikTok videos that used the tags #sleephacks, #sleephygiene, or #sleeptips and categorised them into the following seven themes, which you can try out for yourself:

Limiting screen time

Hands up if you look at your phone even after your head hits the pillow! Dr Pedi Mirdmadi, a naturopathic doctor, said, “Being on your phone before bed is totally disruptive for sleep. What happens when we look at the screen before bed is that our cortisol levels rise, a stress hormone which stimulates the body. This suppresses melatonin, which is crucial for giving us deep and restorative sleep. Make sure to avoid screen time at least an hour before bed. Yes, one hour.

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Doing calming activities before bed

Dr Danielle O’Connor, another naturopathic doctor, shared three tips to stop your mind from racing before hitting the sack, including journaling:

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Avoiding caffeine before bed

This is pretty much a no-brainer, but avoid caffeine six to eight hours before sleep. This includes coffee, tea, and even soft drinks!

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Scheduling wake-up and bedtime

Watch this video to see how to set your exact time to sleep and wake up. It also recommends getting sunlight right when you get out of bed. Rise and shine, folks!

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Cooling the room and making the room darker

According to Dr Darshan Shah, a health and wellness specialist, we need to sleep like our ancestors did when they were cavemen in a cold and dark space. Turn the temperature down to around 18°C, make the room totally dark (even covering up tiny red lights with tape), and make it as quiet as possible. For people who can’t stand total quietness, use a sound machine.

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Using magnesium

Dr Luq, an MD, recommended taking 500mg of Magnesium Glycinate (read more here) every day. He also said that it works for stress and anxiety. However, make sure to check with your doctor if you have any health issues before taking this.

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Using other techniques, like mouth taping

It sounds rather uncomfortable, but Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland, considered to be one of the best players, does this even before he sleeps.

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Note that these aren’t the exact videos used in the study but are a result of our research.

The study found that those who followed the advice fell asleep faster, slept longer, experienced a deeper REM sleep, revealed a higher sleep satisfaction rating and reduced daytime sleepiness.

We can’t emphasise the importance of sleep enough because how else would you function well as a human? Let us know if you’ve tried these tips and if they worked for you.

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Featured Image Credit: tirachardz on Freepik, @dr_luq