close
close

What is Sleepmaxxing? A closer look at the Tikok trend

Recently my friend told me that he had started to be “sleepmaxxing”. Remember that this friend is both extremely productive and extremely healthy: he wakes up every day at 6 a.m., spends 90 minutes at Equinox and returns to his very chic apartment to eat the protein -packed dish that he prepared with meals this week.

In other words, I want to be more like him. When he talks about the wellness kick he has, I listen to (even if I don't quite have the self-discipline to track my macros or take a huge jug of water with me).

As you probably suspected, Sleepmaxxing is a concept of somewhat nebulous importance that comes on social media. It includes application A bunch From various methods to get the perfect night's sleep. Approaches can vary from the more practical target that my friend observes (i.e. after conventional wisdom of going to bed every night at the same time, up to an eye mask, etc.) to complete maniacal.

Influencers have started to find out more about their complex at night routines that can contain everything, from meditation of the pineal glands to the mouth (more on that later). But does it really work? Michael Breus, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and Sleep Medicine expert, is skeptical.

Something that is innate makes no sense, he tells us. In addition, the fear that can cause – fear of sleep or the feeling of stress or fear of falling asleep can be harmful yourself. As one fashion The writer suspended it: “If there is an important sleeping hack that I have discovered in all my years as the obsession of sleep, it is the following: it is best to relax over the whole thing.”

Dr. Breus agrees: “At the end of the day it is best to keep things easy.”

Realistic sleep advice

The best advice that Dr. BREUS can offer, must ensure that your bedroom is similar to a cave because it is dark, calm and relatively cold. However, if – like me – you live in an apartment on a busy street in Brooklyn or another big city, this is a pretty large order.

In this case, Dr. BREUS, to invest both in a number of earplugs and in a high -quality eye mask. Another slightly unconventional technique with which he himself remains cool is to sleep in addition to some frozen water bottles. Dr. Breus tells us that he freezes plastic water bottles, put them in pipe socks and put them in the pockets of his pajama.

“It is a way with a low rent in the macgyver style to lower your core body temperature”, which is essential for the production of melatonin, he says.

The other thing that has the potential to improve its degree, “by up to 25 to 30 percent” is to sleep at the same time seven days a week, says Dr. Breus.

And what about other viral hacks supported by “Sleeptok”? Dr. Breus suggests approaching them with caution. In particular, the oral classes – the rather disturbing practice to literally climb your mouth to force them to breathe through their nose – is something that he only advises unless they have been checked for sleep apnea. And before you chug melatonin or magnesium mocktails, you should inquire with your doctor.

“It is wonderful that people think about their health and realize that sleep has a large part of it,” says Dr. Breus. “But you can rethink it.”