On TikTok, the “SleepMaxxing” trend refers to posts offering advice on getting better sleep. More specifically, these posts focus on maximizing your own personal sleep potential.
Advice may come in the form of promoting products, like bedding or lighting, believed to improve sleep quality. Users also give recommendations on things like dietary habits and sleeping positions.
Given that sleep health is a broad topic, there is, unsurprisingly, a lot of variety in the content that falls under this trend. Some of it is pretty helpful, showing how social media packages good advice as a fun meme-friendly trend.
Unfortunately, the hashtag has also become a regular distributor of misinformation. This comes in the relatively mild form of influencers exaggerating the usefulness of certain products.
In the worst cases, videos have promoted counterproductive and potentially dangerous ideas.
This type of unprofessional and sometimes harmful advice is a problem in many wellness-related spaces on the internet.
According to a study from the National Library of Medicine, health-related misinformation is extremely common on social media. The study states that this abundance of virtual misinformation is often harmful to the public.
In relation to the SleepMaxxing trend, here are some examples of potentially harmful practices that have been promoted through the trend:
Mouth Taping
Videos under the trend advise viewers to use mouth tape to help with snoring. While often an effective way to combat snoring, mouth tape can be dangerous for someone suffering from sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a disorder where a person’s breathing repeatedly starts and stops while sleeping. Snoring is a common side effect of sleep apnea. Applying mouth tape while having the condition can cut off the breathing of the wearer.
Unfortunately, many people with sleep apnea do not know they have it, and may apply tape due to hearing it could help with snoring.
Cases like this show why it is often better to consult a doctor when you have concerns about sleep health than the unlicensed advice of strangers.
Sleep Trackers
While not a supplement like other entries on this list, sleep trackers are a way of keeping track of sleep times to monitor progress. In theory, this should be a perfect tool for someone wanting to reach their best potential rest, or, “SleepMax.”
The downside is that, for many people obsessing about sleep times, it can cause anxiety. In turn, this anxiety harms overall sleep health. While the timers themselves aren’t responsible for this, they are emblematic of what is often the problem with internet health trends: not every solution fits everyone.
Magnesium
While some evidence suggests that magnesium can improve sleep health, it is not believed to be useful for everyone. Magnesium can also lead to negative impacts on digestion if taken in doses that are too high.
Like mouth tape, magnesium may be dangerous when recommended to the wrong person, as it can interact negatively with certain medications.
Wrap Up
It is important to remember that the internet is made up of billions of people. Some of the stuff on there is going to be good, some of it is going to be bad, and there are a whole lot of eBay bidding wars in between.
The SleepMaxxing trend should not be defined by its worst actors. Still, when tuning into fun wellness-related trends, it is important to fact-check what you find. Also, remember, your TikTok feed is not a replacement for a doctor. If you have concerns about your quality of sleep, consult a professional!
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