For the 23 million Britons living with insomnia, the desperate search for a full night's rest often leads to trending online sleep hacks. However, a leading expert is now cautioning that these viral 'foolproof methods' could be making the problem significantly worse.
The Paradox of Trying Too Hard to Sleep
Dr David Garley, a GP at The Better Sleep Clinic, specialises in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders. He delivers a counter-intuitive warning to those struggling to nod off. 'If you try too hard to fall asleep you often actually sleep worse,' he states. This frustrating paradox means that the very act of aggressively attempting to fix your insomnia can cause it to accelerate.
'As soon as you try to start fixing it, and you try too hard, that's often when your insomnia starts to accelerate,' Dr Garley explains. The solution, he suggests, might be counter-intuitive: 'It does seem a bit paradoxical, but sometimes it's about taking your foot off the accelerator and actually trying to do less.'
Deconstructing the Viral Military Sleep Method
This warning comes as methods like the 'military sleep method' gain massive traction on platforms like TikTok, with videos amassing thousands of views. The technique, which promises to help users fall asleep in just two minutes, was first detailed by Bud Winter, a sprint coach and psychology student, in his book 'Relax and Win: Championship Performance'.
Dr Dean J. Miller, a sleep scientist at Central Queensland University in Australia, outlined the method's three consistent components.
The first is progressive muscle relaxation, which involves systematically tensing and then relaxing muscles from the face down to the legs.
Next is controlled breathing, focusing on slowing the breath and making exhalations longer.
The final step is visualisation, where you imagine a serene scene like a quiet field or calm water. Typically, each step is performed for about ten seconds.
Some online variations add a fourth step aimed at overthinkers: repeatedly thinking 'don't think' until sleep takes over. One TikTok user, @stanbr0wney, reported in a viral clip that while visualisation failed him, this final step worked, helping him fall asleep in under five minutes.
The NHS-Recommended Alternative to Online Hacks
While Dr Miller acknowledges the method shares similarities with cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), he also urges caution. He warns that falling asleep constantly within five minutes is not a realistic or healthy goal for most people and can be a sign of excessive daytime sleepiness. 'For civilians working nine-to-five and maintaining a regular schedule, falling asleep within 20 minutes is considered normal,' he clarifies.
Instead of relying on unverified trends, Dr Garley strongly recommends seeking professional support and a treatment called sleep restriction. This approach is a central part of CBT-I, the standard insomnia treatment recommended by the NHS, the British Sleep Society, and the American Association of Sleep Medicine.
'There's lots of components to it, but, nearly always, it involves pushing your bedtime either a little bit later, or a lot later,' Dr Garley says. In practice, this might mean restricting time in bed to just five hours initially. This builds up a powerful sleep drive by leveraging the body's production of a substance called adenosine, which makes you feel sleepier the longer you are awake.
'This 'indirect method' works,' he explains, 'because while we don't have direct control over sleep, we do have an awful lot of indirect control.' By going to bed later, you are more likely to fall asleep quicker and stay asleep throughout the night.
For those experiencing classic insomnia symptoms—finding it hard to go to sleep, waking up during the night, and feeling tired after waking up—the message is clear: professional, evidence-based help is more reliable than the latest social media trend.
