Sleepmaxxing is TikToks latest wellness trend, but does it really work?

Off the back of a stressful election cycle, an ongoing cost of living crisis, and winter cutting our sunshine short, anxiety and restlessness are common right now. So it's no surprise that the latest trend in wellness is all about scoring the perfect night's sleep.

It's been labelled "sleepmaxxing." 

With nearly 125 million posts on TikTok, sleepmaxxing is a catch-all rebranded term for maximising your sleep potential through all sorts of existing hacks ranging from the unusual to the eccentric, like wearing blue light glasses and weighted sleep masks, eating kiwis before bed, and even pineal gland meditation — a breathing exercise that promises to put you to sleep in under 10 minutes. 

But does sleepmaxxing really work? I spoke to a sleep expert and a sworn sleepmaxxer to find out.

What is sleepmaxxing?

"Sleepmaxxing is a current social media trend for optimising sleep quality and quantity by focusing on (and obsessing!) about products, techniques and strategies to help you to get more restorative sleep," sleep expert and physiologist Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan tells Mashable.

"It's a growing viral trend because, although innately our physiology is perfectly designed to enable us to get good sleep, the way we are living our lives is very contrary to the way we are actually designed to live," she explains. 

A survey of 2,000 adults by Norwegian health site Helsestart found that more than one in five U.S. adults suffers from insomnia, a disorder that makes it difficult to fall or stay asleep, and a shocking 50 percent of adults experience insomnia once a month or more. Separately, research from the CDC in 2020 has found 14.5 percent of U.S. adults had trouble falling asleep, and nearly 18 percent had difficulty staying asleep. Online searches for "insomnia symptoms" are trending upward over the last five years, with notable peaks each January, according to Google Trends data.

This sleeplessness phenomenon is a combination of factors keeping us awake at night, according to Ramlakhan: too much city light, mental stimulation, anxiety, fear, and — of course — unlimited access to our mobile phones and social media, resulting in a 24/7 online culture that makes it nearly impossible to disconnect before bedtime. And not everyone likes using dark mode.

"People are obsessed with getting a good night's sleep and are looking for solutions," said Ramlakhan. And that's where sleepmaxxing comes in — prioritising sleep through tech, luxury products, and unconventional lifestyle changes.

Are sleep hacks legit?

There's an almost endless list of long-existing sleep hacks and techniques now trending as sleepmaxxing, including avoiding liquids for two hours before bed, using wearable sleep trackers, sipping herbal teas with magnesium or melatonin, light therapy lamps, special pillows, guided breathwork sleep companions, smart bed frames, noise machine apps, smart pyjamas, lettuce water and more. Sleep stories are big business for mindfulness apps like Calm and Headspace, audio streamers like Spotify have whole Sleep sections, and there are entire podcasts dedicated to making you fall asleep. 

Perhaps the oddest of all sleepmaxxing methods involves placing skin sensitive tape over your mouth before sleeping.

After hearing about the benefits of sleepmaxxing, Rachel Carrell, aged 44 in London, decided to try mouth taping because it's easy and cheap — though the science on the benefits of mouth taping is limited (more on that below), and you should check with your doctor before trying this.

"I have three kids and I run a childcare startup — I was exhausted all the time. I'm always looking for ways to optimise my sleep because I don't get very many hours," Carrell said. "I decided to give mouth-taping a go. From one day to the next, I felt an incredible difference. I felt like there was this fire and energy inside of me that would last all day."

After forgetting to use mouth tape a couple of nights in the last several months, Carrell immediately felt a difference waking up the next day. "I felt so groggy. I could instantly tell that I had forgotten to do it and so for me, it's been the most life-changing thing I've ever done." 

A 2022 study found that during sleep, mouth taping improved both snoring and sleep apnea amongst mouth breathers with mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), though the sample size was low (20 patients). Another study of 30 mouth breathing patients with OSA found that their snoring and sleep improved when wearing a patch on their mouths. While Carrell has seen success with mouth taping, this is one anecdotal case. 

Some sleepmaxxing methods have been researched — somewhat, but remember, tech moves faster than regulation so health and wellness companies can make broad claims. A 2021 study on white noise found it improved sleep quality for people struggling to sleep with city noise. Research has also suggested a link between magnesium and sleep quality, as well as exposure to blue light, although there's more research needed to draw definitive conclusions on all these methods.

"There are definitely sleep aids and techniques that work," Ramlakhan says. "Often sleep problems are created by underlying issues such as fear, anxiety, not feeling in control or safe in your body, past traumas or relationship challenges. While sleepmaxxing might help for a time, the deeper work lies in finding inner safety and settling the nervous system," she explained.

"I recommend magnesium glycinate [a supplement that increases your magnesium levels], white noise for those who wake at the slightest noise, having a simple fan in your bedroom, reducing exposure to blue light in the evening and I do believe that there can be some value in mouth taping," she said. 

Carrell hasn't experienced any side effects of sleepmaxxing and intends to mouth tape for the rest of her life. She's even noticed changes to her breathing patterns during other activities. "Now when I walk up a steep hill, I don't have to puff through my mouth. I'm breathing more through my nose during exercise. I've even tried spin class with my mouth taped, just to see what happens," she said.

The downside of sleepmaxxing

There is a word of caution though, for anyone determined to optimise their sleep.

"While it is good and healthy to prioritise and value your sleep, there is the danger of becoming so obsessed with measuring your sleep, finding your next sleep aid and creating the 'perfect sleep' that this in itself creates anxiety about sleep — and ends up keeping you awake," warned Ramlakhan.

And it's important to take a holistic view of your health, instead of zooming too far in on your sleep alone. "The occasional poor sleep is normal and while sleep is really important, we also need to look at all of the other factors that impact our health, happiness, and energy levels: food, hydration, the way we breathe and move, our relationships, and doing things that bring us joy and purpose," she said.

Yet when it comes to getting good quality sleep, it's often about what you don't do, rather than what you do. "The biggest hindrance to getting good sleep is our obsession with our phones and in my extensive experience, there is no one product out there that can ameliorate the effects of constant usage of phones and our obsession with social media," said Ramlakhan.

She shared her five top tips to truly sleepmax for a good night's sleep – no kiwis involved:

1. Eat a nutrient rich breakfast everyday within 30-45 minutes of waking up. This helps to stabilise your blood sugar levels, reduces morning cortisol levels and alleviates anxiety, which are all important if you're experiencing sleep problems, according to Ramlakhan.

2. Avoid caffeine and don't use it as a substitute for food.

3. Hydrate for optimal brain function, including regulating your body temperature and to help produce sleep hormones like melatonin. Drink ideally 1.5 to 2 litres of water everyday.

4. Get to bed earlier, ideally around 9.30pm. Read something relaxing, meditate or journal before falling asleep.

5. Cultivate a healthier relationship with technology. Most crucially, don't keep your phone in your bedroom. Create an electronic sundown at least one hour before getting into bed and don't look at your phone during the night.

Mashable has more tips for getting a good night's sleep, if you're still in need of a little help.