Gone are the days of setting yourself a jam packed morning routine or being shivering in an ice-cold shower at 5am in order to wake up. These ideas are a thing of the past as the latest TikTok trend is about doing much less instead of more.
The latest obsession to inspire Gen Z’s is known as ‘sleepmaxxing’, which is all about getting the deepest and most restorative sleep possible. The life hack does right what it says on the tin – it’s all about maximising your sleep to reach peak restfulness.
People on TikTok are trying out every means possible for the science of sleep, with experiments ranging from blackout curtains and magnesium supplements to mouth-taping and high-tech sleep trackers, reports the Mirror.
This trend encompasses the growing desire of Gen Z and Millennials to prioritise their mental health and overall well-being, instead of getting lost in the hustle and bustle of work life and doom scrolling on social media.
As a result of this trend, social media is flooded with successful sleepmaxxing transformations. Some users have shown how they have turned their normal bedrooms into high-tech, ultra-cosy sanctuaries to best optimise their rest.
Many different devices are being named as they key to an uninterrupted sleep, including sound machines, cooling mattresses and weighted blankets. ‘Sleepy girl mocktails’ have also been thrown into the mix, as one user wrote: “I’ve been trying the sleepy girl mocktail for a week now, and my sleep has never been better!”
However, as with any new viral craze to take over social media, not everyone is completely convinced and others are taking it to different extremes. Some sleepmaxxers have said to be tracking their REM cycles with smart rings, purchasing infrared light therapy, and spending way too much money on AI-powered pillows.
Experts have revealed that as much as it is good to try and get a better night’s sleep, being hyper fixated on achieving the perfect sleep can actually lead to stress, ironically making it harder to rest.
Some experts have said that this fixation could lead to orthosomnia. This is a phenomenon where sleep trackers actually increase anxiety about rest, making it harder to fall and stay asleep.
Dr Neil Stanley, an independent sleep expert, agrees with the assessment as he explains in his book, ‘How to Sleep Well’, that trying to hard too get the ‘perfect’ sleep can make people more anxious and this will worsen the sleep overall.
However, in spite of the critics, sleepmaxxing represent a refreshing move away from hustle culture, and it is a good reminder that rest is productive too. Whether this is a trend that continues to stick around or is something that disappears in the blink of an eye, sleeping has never sounded so good.