A Sleep Medicine Doctor on Which Sleepmaxxing Tips Actually Work

You can “maxx” just about anything these days: your looks, your fiber intake, your trips to the gym. So, it should come as no surprise that sleepmaxxing is the next “maxxing” trend on the docket. 

But what does it mean to sleepmaxx? And is it even good for you? Let’s take a look at this hot topic and understand whether it’s worth the hype or simply a snooze you can avoid.

Is sleepmaxxing really a thing?

Like most “maxxing” trends, sleepmaxxing is essentially a way of taking your sleep to the next level.

“The core impulse behind ‘sleepmaxxing’ — optimizing sleep through behavioral and environmental changes — aligns with well-established principles recommended by sleep specialists,” says Vishesh Kapur, MD, a sleep medicine physician and founder of the UW Medicine Sleep Center. “Where sleepmaxxing diverges is in the intensity and rigidity of the approach, and in the adoption of unproven or poorly studied interventions promoted on social media rather than the scientific literature.”

But some of the appeal of sleepmaxxing might be that the basic rules for getting good sleep just aren’t that earth-shattering or exciting. For example, telling people they should go to bed at the same time every night seems ... tame compared to some of the elaborate tactics that you might discover circulating on social media.

Trendy or reality? Let’s take a look

And what are some of these more specific tactics that some sleepmaxxing influencers are serving up? Though there are many to choose from, Kapur has ranked some popular ones by how useful they really are:

Definitely helpful:

Get 30 minutes of sunlight every day
“This is actually a great idea,” says Kapur. “Morning sunlight exposure makes it easier to fall asleep at night, promotes alertness and maintains a healthy sleep-wake cycle.”

Meditate daily for 30 minutes
Mindfulness and relaxation training can help reduce muscle tension and intrusive thoughts that interfere with sleep, therefore encouraging better rest.

Eliminate caffeine
You don’t actually need to eliminate caffeine, just be mindful of when you consume it. Since it tends to stay in your system for six hours or more, caffeine should be avoided in the afternoons and evenings.

Stay off your devices
Avoid using electronics in bed and do not spend time in bed awake (make your bed truly a place for some serious shut-eye).

Sometimes helpful:

Don’t drink anything during the two hours before bedtime
This makes sense since drinking too much in the evening will make you pee more during the night (duh). So, you don’t need to avoid all liquids, but cutting back is smart.

Keep your bedroom cold
“Reasonable, since sleep onset is physiologically linked to core body temperature decline, and a cool environment facilitates this process,” says Kapur.

Don’t set a morning alarm
Since the best sleep is consistent sleep, this one just depends on whether you can wake up naturally at around the same time every day. Removing the alarm could make your sleep schedule more erratic, or it could be fine if you’re still able to get all the sleep you need.

Showering one hour before bedtime
This can also help you fall asleep more quickly by increasing your core body temperature without physical exertion, which then allows your body to cool down after.

Take melatonin
Melatonin can slightly shorten the time it takes you to fall asleep, but it isn’t always effective for adults with chronic insomnia.

Tape your mouth shut while sleeping
To be fair, this could be helpful for some people, but there hasn’t been enough research done to say for sure. Plus, it might actually be harmful for certain individuals who have trouble breathing through their nose.

Track your sleep
Putting too much emphasis on your sleep data can actually harm your sleep (read more about orthosomnia below), so it’s important to keep things in perspective when using a wearable device.

Probably not helpful:

Eat kiwis before going to bed
This is one that influencers love to tout, but in reality, there’s limited evidence that this actually helps with sleep — but the good news? Definitely not harmful.

Use a nostril expander
Sorry, but inserting a dilator into your nose to maximize airflow isn’t really going to be helpful unless you have a structural issue like a deviated septum.

Drink a special sleep cocktail
This is usually some concoction of tart cherry juice for natural melatonin and magnesium powder, which may actually cause digestive issues (not helpful for sleep).

In reality, Kapur says the most effective strategies are usually the simplest and don’t involve super-specific pieces of fruit, supplements, etc.

“Beyond those basics, the benefits tend to diminish,” says Kapur. “And if someone is still having sleep problems after addressing those factors, they may need professional help — especially if they’re dealing with insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness.”

Sleepmaxxing vs. orthosomnia

There’s another risk to obsessing about getting the “perfect” sleep. Aiming for perfection can lead to orthosomnia, an obsessive pursuit of optimal sleep.

With orthosomnia, you essentially no longer trust your own perception of sleep, often relying instead on data from your sleep tracker. This increases your anxiety about the quality of your rest, which can override your normal sleep-onset mechanisms and perpetuate a vicious cycle: The more you worry about getting perfect sleep, the more frustration builds when you fall short, which further impairs your sleep.

Jeff Iliff, PhD, professor in the UW School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, says that sleep tracking can be a bit of a double-edged sword.

“General sleep tracking features can be useful because they help people notice patterns in behavior that negatively affect sleep,” says Iliff. “There are people, though, that if you start telling them, ‘Your sleep is not good,’ then they stress out about why their sleep is not good, and it ends up being a source of anxiety that can cause insomnia.”

So, trying to optimize your sleep can be its own driver of sleep dysfunction — which means before getting too attached to the data on your wearable device, you should really evaluate how (and if) you’ll be able to usefully handle the results.

In conclusion

When it comes to getting optimal sleep, it’s best to just ignore the noise and focus on the basics.

“The core principles are really the most important: consistency in your sleep schedule, allowing enough — but not excessive — time in bed, and creating a sleep environment that’s conducive to rest,” says Kapur. “Once you get into things like whether to take a hot shower before bed, you’re moving into the ‘sleepmaxxing’ mindset, when the reality is that many people aren’t even doing the basic things.”

There’s nothing wrong with trying to “maxx” your sleep, but instead of focusing on all the trendy ways to improve your sleep, start with the fundamentals and reach out to your healthcare team with any questions or concerns.