Many of us have been there – waking up in the middle of the night and struggling to drift back off to sleep. If it’s a regular occurrence, it can seriously mess with how you feel the next day.
There are many reasons behind these midnight awakenings, from daily stress to your lifestyle choices, the setup of your bedroom, or potential health issues. When those nocturnal interruptions stick around for the long haul, it’s called insomnia.
This pesky sleep disruptor is when you regularly find it tough to nod off, or you wake up over and over and getting back to sleep is difficult.
The NHS has a list of suggestions for those battling with insomnia, including steering clear of stimulants like alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Meanwhile, the Sleep Foundation recommends deep breathing for getting back to sleep if you keep waking up.
However, after trying different approaches, one woman stumbled upon a ‘pattern’ hack that did the trick for her. Global Lifestyle Strategist Toni frequently posts tips online, and she recently hit TikTok to show some love for the person who clued her in on a simple trick: if you wake up during the night and can’t seem to fall back asleep, just close your eyes and steer your eyes in a special pattern.
Toni enthused in her video: “I just want you to know that it’s been working like a charm and I absolutely love you. Never in my entire adult life have I been able to fall back to sleep so quickly.”
And she laid out the method in her post: “Close your eyes – look up, down, left, right, circle left, circle right, cross your eyes and repeat.”
She expressed her gratitude, saying: “Just a quick thank you to the woman who shared the eye movement trick for falling back to sleep. It’s been working like magic and I’ve never had such an easy time drifting off again. TikTok really has a way of sharing things you didn’t even know you needed.”
The sleep hack was originally posted by Heather on her TikTok account @prettysickheather, where she demonstrated the technique with her eyes open, acknowledging it looks “ridiculous”. Heather claimed: “I have never made it past two cycles” before nodding off again, and confidently assured, “I promise you, you will not be able to do this and not fall back asleep”.
She also advised that if changes in sleep habits haven’t improved insomnia and you’ve been struggling to sleep for months, it’s important to consult your GP.