Have You Tried Sleepmaxxing – TikTok’s Viral Trend for Optimising Sleep?

In today’s fast-paced world, sleep often takes a hit. To tackle this, a new health trend on TikTok called "sleepmaxxing" is gaining traction, with users stacking multiple habits, products, and hacks to maximise sleep quality and duration. Gone are the days of a simple bedtime routine—now, sleepmaxxing enthusiasts are wearing red-light glasses, eating kiwis, inserting nostril expanders, and ensuring complete darkness before bed. The trend has amassed hundreds of thousands of views under the hashtag #sleepmaxxing. The trend marks a stark contrast to the days of glorifying functioning on minimal sleep to an almost obsessive focus on sleep and its benefits.

While many ‘sleepmaxxing’ strategies are science-backed sleep hygiene practices, some are questionable or even harmful. For instance, sleeping in a cool, dark, and quiet room (ideally 60–67°F / 15.6–19.4°C), limiting blue light exposure before bed, avoiding alcohol and caffeine in the evening and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule are known to enhance quality sleep. But depending on the social media source, sleepmaxxing recommendations include a whole gamut of steps such as:

• Taping your mouth shut while sleeping
• Avoiding fluids two hours before bed
• Keeping the bedroom cold and dark
• Using a white noise machine
• Skipping morning alarms
• Showering an hour before bedtime
• Eliminating caffeine
• Eating kiwis before bed
• Taking magnesium and melatonin
• Using weighted blankets
• Getting 30 minutes of sunlight daily
• Meditating for 30 minutes a day

While not all of these are scientifically proven, many align with good sleep hygiene, which experts consistently recommend for deep and restorative sleep. Experts also point out that the over attentiveness to sleep patterns and optimisation can also backfire by turning what should be a restorative process into a high-pressure chore.