{"id":26476,"date":"2021-09-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog-staging.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/science-behind-wacky-sleep-trends\/"},"modified":"2023-08-28T22:50:39","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T22:50:39","slug":"science-behind-wacky-sleep-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/science-behind-wacky-sleep-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do We Keep Trying Wacky Sleep Trends?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

These days, TikTok<\/a> is famous for viral dance videos and painfully risky attempts at the box challenge. But since COVID-19, it\u2019s also become a major source of some bonkers health advice and DIY experiments. One such trend is drinking lettuce water<\/a> in the hopes of getting a better night\u2019s sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say, there are no peer-reviewed studies to back this up. Still, the popularity of this, err, sleep aid begs the question: What makes wacky sleep trends and quick fixes so seductive? And why do some of us keep falling for them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get to the bottom of this, we asked a health researcher and clinical psychologist to explain. Here, they break down the science behind why we\u2019re so into bizarre sleep hacks, plus how to get some much-needed Z\u2019s\u2014no juicer required. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rise of wacky sleep trends <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Strange sleep potions could be spreading online for a couple of reasons. For one, \u201cmany people have had worsening sleep during the pandemic<\/a> and so that likely led to an increase in people seeking solutions,\u201d says Sari Chait, PhD, clinical psychologist and founder of the Behavioral Health and Wellness Center, LLC<\/a>, in Newton, Mass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, one in five people<\/a> who described themselves as good sleepers before the pandemic has struggled to get quality shuteye since lockdown measures, per a 2020 study published in the journal Sleep Medicine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the before times, it was normal to ask for help getting a better night\u2019s sleep from, say, a family doctor. But COVID-19 has made it more difficult to connect with the medical pros we\u2019d usually lean on for help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, some of us could be turning to platforms like TikTok for answers instead, says Chait. Often, this is the case for young people who get the majority of their news from social media<\/a>, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n