Sleep strategies experts recommend (and advise against):
Chatty, Unfiltered Guide to Snoozing:
Dr. Sujay Kansagra, a sleep doc at Duke Health, isn't afraid to wade into the murky waters of obscure online sleep advice. His verdict? Many of these tips lack solid scientific backing. Here's the lowdown on what works, what doesn't, and a teenager's guide to nodding off on TikTok.
1. Skipsville for the Mouth Tape:
Some social media gurus claim mouth taping can stop snoring and boost sleep by forcing you to breathe through your nose. While that's true, it's a myth that taping your pie hole is a sleep quality game-changer. Don't count on it. Regular snoring could be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition marked by potentially dangerous pauses in breathing during shut-eye. Ignoring a real medical situation to rely on mouth tape is a risky move.
2. Turn Off the Blue Lights:
Blue light, emitted by screens and bright bulbs, can trick your brain into thinking it's daytime. Any trend that encourages cutting back on blue light before bed (or using amber or red bulbs at home, like some suggest on social media) could very well aid your sleep. Start dimming lights and limiting screen time a few hours before you snooze. But don't assume fancy electronics with "Night Shift" features or blue-light-blocking glasses will do the trick. The evidence supporting these tools is lacking.
3. Sleep Pills, Schmeepills:
Tech baron Bryan Johnson pops a low dose of melatonin every night, and podcaster Andrew Huberman peddles magnesium supplements for a speedier zzz's. While some supplements might have benefits (melatonin can help adjust to a new time zone, and there's some evidence that magnesium could help some people fall asleep faster), don't consider them regular sleep aids or a cure for chronic insomnia. They can be costly, unproven, and potentially lead to a reliance on crutches for serious sleep issues that need a medical diagnosis.
4. mental Gymnastics for Slumber:
Numerous psych-out techniques, like counting sheep, grace social media. One popular exercise called cognitive shuffling involves thinking of a word (e.g., "whale") and then generating as many words that start with the same letters as you can. But do these hacks really help? These methods haven't been thoroughly studied, but it makes sense that distracting your mind from stressors could help some people fall asleep. But don't rely on these alone; they aren't foolproof.
5. Write It Out:
Journaling your worries before bedtime can help you sleep, according to some experts. Dedicating a space to list your fears, tasks, and problems can give your brain time to process them before bed, making it easier to unwind. But don't wait too long to hit the hay. Writing for stress relief in bed could create negative associations and impact sleep quality.
This article has offerings from Caroline Hopkins Legaspi © The New York Times Company
Originally printed in The New York Times
Enrichment Data:
What Really Helps You Sleep?
When it comes to sleep hacks, science takes the cake. Here's a list of peer-reviewed strategies for a stellar slumber:
- Journaling/to-do lists: Making a pre-sleep list of upcoming tasks (as shown in a Baylor/Emory study) helps offload anxiety and accelerates sleep onset.
- Meditation & breathing techniques: Proven to reduce stress and improve sleep quality by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
- Bed restriction: Using the bed exclusively for sleep/sex strengthens the brain's sleep association, improving sleep efficiency over time.
- Acupuncture/acupressure: Evidence suggests stimulation of specific points can reduce stress and promote relaxation.
- Paradoxical intention: The "reverse psychology" method (intentionally trying to stay awake) helped insomniacs in a Scottish study, likely by reducing performance anxiety around sleep.
Remember: not all buzzworthy sleep trends have been scientifically tested, and what works for one may not work for all. Stick to the scientifically supported methods, consult a sleep specialist for personalized advice, and embrace sweet dreams!
- While mouth taping can help reduce snoring and encourage nasal breathing, Dr. Sujay Kansagra warns that it may not significantly improve sleep quality. This technique might not be a legitimate sleep quality game-changer.
- Limit blue light exposure before sleep by dimming the lights and minimizing screen time, as it could potentially aid sleep. However, fancy electronics and blue-light-blocking glasses might not provide the expected benefits, as their efficacy is not extensively supported by science.
- Some celebrities like Bryan Johnson and Andrew Huberman endorse sleep supplements such as melatonin and magnesium. While these supplements might offer certain benefits for adjusting to a new time zone or promoting faster sleep, they should not be considered regular sleep aids or a cure for chronic insomnia.
- Psychological methods like counting sheep or cognitive shuffling can distract the mind from stressors and potentially help some individuals fall asleep. However, these techniques require further scientific study, and their effectiveness might vary between individuals.
