TikTok sleep trends are affecting how Americans sleep, according to a recent survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
In the online survey that was released last week, it revealed that 37 percent of the 2,006 Americans who were polled admitted to experimenting with at least one viral sleep trend—and certain groups were more likely to have participated than others.
Members of Generation Z were more likely to have dabbled in sleep hacks than any other generation. Among the 18- to 27-year-olds who completed the AASM survey, more than half—55 percent—of them admitted to trying out a TikTok sleep trend. Millennials—28- to 43-year-olds—were not far behind, at 50 percent.
Men were also more likely than women to have tried to hack their sleep, with 43 percent of male responders indicating they had participated in sleep trends, compared with 31 percent of women. This may be because men are generally more likely to experience sleep disorders than women.
The most common trend was "bed rotting"—a practice where a person stays in bed for an extended period of time doing activities other than sleep, for instance scrolling on social media. "Bed rotters" might stay under the covers for a whole day or longer, aiming to rest and recuperate, or hide from the outside world.
Nearly a quarter—24 percent—of Gen Z respondents said they had tried bed rotting, and 14 percent of respondents overall.
"These trends may not be inherently harmful, but it's important to remember that the bed's primary purpose is for sleep," Dr. Anne Marie Morse, a Geisinger Health System sleep medicine physician and spokesperson for the AASM, said in a statement.
Morse continued: "The intentional practice of maintaining healthy sleep habits, like a consistent sleep schedule with regular timing of bedtime and waking and not going to bed unless you are sleepy, will serve as a positive reinforcement of the bed being a place for sleep and is essential for maintaining ease of falling and staying asleep."
Beyond bed rotting, the survey's authors concluded there had been a broader shift in how people use their beds. More than half—51 percent—of respondents said they spent more than 30 minutes in bed each night before even attempting to sleep, and 27 percent said they did the same thing after they woke up in the morning.
"The less time you spend in bed, the better quality of sleep you will get," Kathryn Pinkham, founder of The Insomia Clinic, told Newsweek.
"Bed should be reserved for sleep and sex, and ideally, we should spend as little time as possible in bed and our bedroom, to help keep a stronger connection between this space and sleep."
There were a variety of microtrends with which a few people had also experimented. The Scandinavian sleep method involves a couple who share a bed using two separate blankets or comforters rather than sharing—and 10 percent of survey respondents said they did this.
Magnesium is a mineral associated with supporting good sleep, and the "sleepy girl mocktail" is a drink featuring magnesium that is intended to improve sleep. Overall, 9 percent of respondents said they had tried drinking one before bed, but this viral trend was most popular among millennials, 14 percent of whom said they had tried it.
Nutritional therapist Sue Evans told Newsweek that magnesium could support sleep, but that the type of magnesium used was important.
"Magnesium glycinate can help towards relaxation, whereas citrate is utilized to help alleviate constipation," she explained.
The sleepy girl co*cktail also typically contains cherries, which also could aid sleep, Evans said.
"Particular cherries known as Montmorency have been possibly identified as helping induce sleep and cherries in general have an anti-inflammatory affect," she said. However, the natural sugars in cherry juice "may impact blood sugar balance right before bed", so she would advise against drinking a sleepy girl mocktail.
"Seeing a nutritional professional that can help you with food and lifestyle choices to aid sleep, and if required, recommending a supplement that contains Montmorency cherry or magnesium glycinate and advising on the dosage, would be a better approach," Evans said.
Some people even admitted to livestreaming themselves sleeping (7 percent) or watching livestreams of others sleeping (8 percent). This also was a trend that caught the attention of millennials most of all, 12 percent of whom said they had livestreamed themselves sleeping, and 14 percent watched livestreams of others sleeping.
Among Gen Z, 15 percent admitted to trying to sleep in 90-minute increments, compared with 9 percent overall.
Mouth taping was another viral sleep trend where the tape is placed over the lips to force the sleeper to breathe through their nose. It was attempted by 5 percent of survey respondents.
"Once we started doing lots of things to try and sleep better, like taking magnesium, drinking special sleep teas etc. we lose our natural sleep drive," said Pinkham.
"The reality is, none of these things are cures for poor sleep. Equally, if you're already someone who's sleeping badly, these things will actually add more pressure to you feeling as though you should be falling asleep, which is the last thing we want. This kind of pressure can be really anxiety-provoking for people with insomnia."
Morse said: "It is critical to differentiate whether the reason for experimenting with new sleep trends is because of existing difficulties with sleep or unsatisfactory wakefulness, as utilizing trends like bed rotting may actually worsen the sleep problem you may be experiencing."
"It is exciting to see increasing awareness and socialization about optimizing sleep, rather than the continued stigma, perpetuation and even championing of 'getting away with' less sleep."
She added: "Sleep problems are common and treatable; however, the right solution for the specific issue at hand is necessary."
Pinkham's top tips for better sleep included going to bed later and waking up earlier, to increase your chances of falling asleep more quickly and having more restorative, better quality sleep.
She also recommended getting up and leaving the bedroom if you're tossing and turning throughout the night, and returning after a calming activity to fall asleep, to avoid associating the bedroom with wakefulness.
Pinkham said stress and anxiety can disrupt sleep and contribute to tiredness, and recommended writing worries down and challenging unhelpful thoughts.
If you're looking for a sleep supplement, Pinkham said: "Look at a real fix for a real sleep problem, like CBT for insomnia (CBT-i). This is the method of treatment we use at The Insomnia Clinic."
Survey results may not be representative of nationwide habits. Those who participated in viral sleep trends may have been more likely to respond to the survey, either because they were interested in the subject or by nature of it being online.
The overall margin of error for this survey fell within plus or minus 2 percentage points with a confidence interval of 95 percent. It was conducted between May 16 and May 24, 2024, by Atomik Research, an independent market research agency.
The AASM recommends that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night and aim to stick to a regular sleeping routine.
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