From “sleepy girl mocktails” to mouth taping, #sleepmaxxing has exploded on TikTok. The trend promises deeper, longer sleep through hacks, supplements and devices – but are these viral tricks worth trying?
To find out, we spoke to Dr Rob Henst, a sleep scientist and co-founder of Sleep Science, a sleep consultancy practise in Cape Town. He explained which tips science backs, which are just hype and why obsessing over sleep can sometimes make it worse. Get comfy and cosy, better ZZZs are ahead.
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What Is Sleepmaxxing?
Sleepmaxxing is TikTok’s latest wellness trend: a collection of hacks, supplements and devices aimed at “maximising” the quality and quantity of sleep. The term comes from internet “-maxxing” culture (like gymmaxxing or looksmaxxing), where people try to optimise one area of their lives to the extreme.
On TikTok, sleepmaxxing takes many forms – drinking “sleepy girl mocktails” made with magnesium and tart cherry juice, eating kiwis to fall asleep faster, taping your mouth shut to encourage nose breathing or cranking your bedroom temperature waaaaay down.
Videos on social media tagged with #sleepmaxxing have drawn thousands of views, with these sleep hackers sharing their night routines in pursuit of the perfect slumber.
Do Sleepy Girl Mocktails Really Work?
One of the most popular hacks is making a “sleepy girl mocktail“. This involves mixing magnesium powder with tart cherry juice and a sparkling drink (sparkling water works well). That’s because magnesium plays a vital role in the brain processes that regulate sleep, but supplements only help if you’re deficient, warns Dr Rob Henst, a sleep scientist and co-founder of Sleep Science, a sleep consultancy practice in Cape Town.
“Magnesium can be found in green veggies, seeds, nuts, bananas, rice and potatoes,” Dr Henst explains. “If you get sufficient magnesium through your diet and you do not have a magnesium deficiency, supplementing with magnesium is not going to help you sleep any better.”
As for tart cherry juice, it contains magnesium, melatonin, tryptophan (an amino acid from which melatonin is made) and procyanidin B2, which stops the breaking down of tryptophan. But the evidence is weak. “In the few studies that researched the effect of tart cherry juice on sleep, only minor changes were found, which unlikely will make a noticeable impact on your sleep.”
Verdict: “Before resorting to purchasing overpriced magnesium supplements, take a look at your diet, first,” advises Dr Henst.
But What About That One Study?
A pilot study found tart cherry juice improved sleep time and efficiency in older adults with insomnia. However when you take a deeper look, it may not be that simple. Dr Henst explains it: “Those are the within-group results, and don’t take into account the placebo. When the placebo was taken into account, there were no improvements in sleep time (assuming ’sleep duration’ is meant here) or sleep efficiency.”
“Only the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and time awake after initially falling asleep (called WASO) improved. WASO is a component of ISI, so it’s likely that if WASO improved, so will the ISI.”
“Also, this is self-reported sleep, not objectively-measured sleep, so not the most robust measure. Finally, this study was funded by CherryPharm, Inc., so you can hardly call it an independent study.
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Can Eating Kiwis Before Bed Improve Sleep?
A 2023 study of 24 people suggested that eating two kiwis before bedtime helped participants fall asleep 14 minutes faster and sleep 40 minutes longer.
“While initial results seem positive, I would interpret these with caution,” says Dr Henst. “The study sample was quite small, no confounding effects were considered and the participants were aware of the intervention, which may result in the placebo effect.”
Verdict: Kiwis are nutrient-rich and contain building blocks for melatonin, in this case serotonin. As Dr Henst points out: “Kiwis, like any fruit, have tons of other health benefits, and being healthy often means healthy sleep, too.”
Is Mouth Taping Safe?
One of the more extreme TikTok hacks is mouth taping – literally sealing your lips shut at night to force nose breathing. On paper, it sounds helpful: breathing through the nose filters, humidifies and warms air before it reaches the lungs. Plus, it encourages slower, deeper breaths that activate the body’s relaxation system (parasympathetic nervous system) which promotes falling asleep.
But as Dr Henst points out, most people naturally breathe this way during sleep, so taping provides no added benefit. And problems arise when the nose is blocked. “Sometimes we don’t naturally breathe through the nose because of nasal congestion (temporary) or anatomical reasons like a deviated septum,” he explains. In these cases, taping can be risky: “It is not recommended to tape the mouth as the air still needs to enter the lungs somehow!”
Mouth taping has been shown in some studies to reduce snoring, but you shouldn’t be ignoring your snoring. “Snoring is a risk factor of obstructive sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder characterised by interruptions of breathing during sleep,” says Dr Henst. “Obstructive sleep apnea is usually linked to a larger underlying problem like enlarged tonsils or obesity. In these cases it may be more beneficial to seek medical help and treat the cause than to mask the symptom by taping your mouth shut.”
Verdict: Mouth taping may look like a harmless hack, but it can mask serious health issues. “If you experience difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep due to breathing difficulties, leave the tape and talk to your GP about it,” advises Dr Henst.
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Should You Stop Drinking Liquids Before Bed?
Avoiding fluids before bedtime may help if you suffer from nocturia – a fancy word for waking up at night to pee. “For people who struggle with nocturia, it may help to avoid drinking liquids before bedtime, especially diuretic liquids like alcohol and caffeine,” he says.
But frequent bathroom trips can also point to deeper health issues such as diabetes or sleep apnea. And these need to be addressed.
Verdict: This element of sleepmaxxing can’t hurt to try. But if you’re not waking often, there’s no need to change your evening hydration routine.
Does Sleeping In A Cold Room Improve Sleep?
Temperature is important when it comes to sleep and it especially plays a key role in regulating REM sleep. That’s because the body’s temperature rhythm regulates REM sleep. And a cooler environment helps your body manage temperature changes, but there’s no single “perfect” number.
“Your body’s ability to do this depends on more than just the temperature of the room,” Dr Henst explains. Bedding, clothing, airflow, humidity and personal preference all matter. “Because of all these factors, it’s impossible to recommend a certain room temperature that works for everyone.”
Verdict: “Choosing a sleep environment in which you feel comfortable but don’t wake up sweaty in, works best for your sleep,” Dr Henst advises.
Can ASMR Or Sleep Music Help?
Ever found yourself deep in a YouTube rabbit hole watching video after video of ASMR sounds to help you sleep? Us too! That’s because in order to sleep we need to be calm and relaxed. And sounds can relax us and be powerful sleep cues. “Certain sounds can relax us and may be a body’s cue to sleep as part of a sleep routine,” Dr Henst says.
ASMR, low frequency binaural beats and classical playlists may help some people unwind. But effects vary widely and dependency can be a risk. “Just be aware of the small risk that you may become dependent on it and struggle to fall asleep in the instances that the sounds are not available,” warns Dr Henst.
Verdict: “The effectiveness of certain sounds, beats of music for sleep […] is so individual that it’s hard to give a general advice. What works for one person, may not work for another. Try out different sounds and see what works for you.”
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Pineal Gland Meditation Vs Regular Meditation
Just like how sounds or music can help some people become relaxed, so does meditation. “Meditation is about being conscious of the here and now. Breathing meditations, body scans, and progressive muscle relaxation are all examples of meditation,” explains Dr Henst.
Some TikTok videos promote meditating on the pineal gland as a unique sleep tool. Dr Henst explains: “Pineal gland meditation is a type of meditation where you place your attention on the assumed anatomical position of the pineal gland.”
Verdict: “There is no evidence to suggest this form of meditation is any more relaxing than other forms of meditation. The best type of meditation is the one that works for you.”
Can Sleepmaxxing Backfire?
Okay, so at this point you’re probably wanting to know whether sleepmaxxing actually works or not. But it’s not that simple. The biggest problem with sleepmaxxing isn’t whether the hacks work – it’s the risk of sleep anxiety.
“Some sleepmaxxing tips are helpful, some are a waste of time, while some are even harmful,” Dr Henst explains. One such example of it being harmful is if it keeps a person from seeking medical attention for problems with sleep, like insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. “There are evidence-based treatments for these sleep disorders, that will make more impact than sleepmaxxing advice does,” he informs.
He also says sleepmaxxing can be counterproductive when people obsess about getting perfect sleep or rely too heavily on devices. “Obsessing about sleep may even cause sleep anxiety, making it difficult to relax and therefore even harder to sleep,” he warns.
He describes how sleep anxiety spirals into insomnia. A stressful period might cause temporary sleeplessness which is a normal response to a temporary stressful situation. But in trying to fix it, we may adopt unhelpful thoughts and behaviours to cope or aid with the temporary insomnia.
He explains a common cycle: “We feel tired because we didn’t sleep well, so we take more coffee to help us stay awake during the day, which makes it difficult to fall asleep, so we go to bed earlier to compensate for the sleep loss, which makes us associate our bedroom with being frustrated and anxious, and so on…”
“Even after we have processed or passed this period, the sleep problems remain due to the habits and anxiety we have created ourselves. This is how classic insomnia starts.”
Habits That Actually Work
Instead of chasing viral hacks, Dr Henst says the basics are still the best:
- Be physically active
- Expose yourself to daylight
- Manage your stress
- Keep regular bed and wake times
- Temper alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, especially close to bedtime
“These general tips are very effective,” he notes, “but they are not as exciting as ‘sleepy girl mocktails’ and may not score as many Likes on TikTok,” he remarks.
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When To Seek Professional Help
So how do you know if your sleep really needs medical attention? “How do you tell [if] a car wash works well? You look at how clean the cars are that come out! The same goes for sleep,” he says.
“Sleep serves many functions, but the most important one is that it restores us, reduces sleepiness and makes you alert for the day,” he says. If you are struggling to stay awake during the day, this is a good indication that your sleep is suboptimal.
Signs that your sleep is suboptimal include nodding off in meetings or while watching tv, struggling to stay awake while driving, needing frequent daytime naps or waking up unrefreshed.
Loud snoring or waking up gasping for air (usually a bedpartner would notice this) can indicate obstructive sleep apnea, while persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep may suggest insomnia.
“If you are struggling, it may be time to talk to a professional.”
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At The End Of The Day
Sleepmaxxing reflects how important rest has become in our wellness culture. But hacks and shortcuts can never replace the fundamentals. As Dr Henst advises: focusing on activity, light exposure, routine, stress management and moderation is still the surest way to sleep well – even if it won’t go viral on TikTok.
Meet The Expert: Dr Rob Henst
Dr Rob Henst is a sleep scientist who explored the connection between sleep, the 24-hour body clock and cardiometabolic health at the University of Cape Town. Passionate about helping South Africans sleep better, he co-founded Sleep Science, a sleep consultancy practice in Cape Town, during his studies. Today, Rob focuses on strategy and communications to solve challenges in healthcare and disease prevention, of which sleep is a key pillar.
