What is ‘sleepmaxxing’? Experts warn against the viral trend that’s taking sleep too far

A great evening’s sleep is priceless—ask anybody who’s ever needed to stumble by a groggy morning after a stressed evening. Sleep is important for each bodily and psychological well being, bettering every little thing from mind operate to immune protection. However a brand new wellness development referred to as sleepmaxxing is pushing the pursuit of relaxation to excessive ranges, and consultants at the moment are warning that it might do extra hurt than good.

What Precisely Is Sleepmaxxing?

On the floor, sleepmaxxing appears like an important thought. The development, which has gone viral on social media, encourages folks to maximise each the standard and amount of their sleep. Many influencers swear by their rigorously crafted nighttime rituals, recommending ideas like avoiding caffeine, making bedrooms as darkish and funky as attainable, and reducing display screen time earlier than mattress.

However sleepmaxxing has rapidly gone from smart recommendation to an all-out obsession. Hardcore followers are utilizing an arsenal of devices—blue light-blocking glasses, eye masks, mouth tape, and even sleep-enhancing dietary supplements—to engineer the “excellent” evening’s relaxation. Some are even taping their mouths shut to forestall nighttime respiratory by the mouth, a follow consultants say may very well be harmful.

Why Consultants Are Involved

Whereas recognizing the significance of sleep is a step in the appropriate course, medical doctors say sleepmaxxing could also be main folks down an unhealthy path.

Dr. Jag Sunderram, a professor of medication at Rutgers College, instructed CNN that sleepmaxxing displays a optimistic shift in how folks view relaxation. “Previously, it was thought that sleep wasn’t essential,” he mentioned. “The development in direction of understanding that sleep is definitely actually essential is an effective factor.”

However different sleep consultants warn that over-optimizing sleep can grow to be counterproductive. Dr. Rafael Pelayo, a medical professor in Stanford College’s sleep drugs division, says that whereas sleep trackers and apps might assist some folks, they’ll additionally create pointless stress. Worse, many sleep-tracking units aren’t even correct, that means customers could also be obsessing over defective knowledge.Dr. Anita Shelgikar, director of the sleep drugs fellowship on the College of Michigan, warns that some sleepmaxxing strategies may very well be actively dangerous.

• Mouth taping to forestall loud night breathing might result in smooth tissue injury.
• Overuse of sleep supplements like magnesium may very well be dangerous for folks with underlying well being situations.
• Excessive deal with sleep perfection might lead to orthosomnia—a sleep problem the place anxiousness over getting the “excellent” relaxation really causes extra sleepless nights.

A Higher Method to Sleep

Slightly than chasing an not possible excellent, consultants say sleep hygiene needs to be easy:

• Maintain your bed room darkish and funky (between 60-67°F).
• Keep away from screens and shiny lights earlier than mattress.
• In the reduction of on caffeine and alcohol.
• Comply with a constant sleep schedule.

Dr. Shelgikar warns that turning sleep right into a high-pressure job might have the alternative impact of what sleepmaxxing intends. “For some people, being overly attentive to sleep optimization and sleep patterns each evening can improve stress and worsen sleep over time,” she mentioned.

So earlier than taping your mouth shut or filling your cart with sleep devices, bear in mind: typically, the very best sleep hack is just letting go of the strain to sleep completely.