Something to ponder as we welcome the extra hour of sleep from the return to standard time: If we're looking into sleep hacks—things like the "sleepy girl mocktail," mouth taping, or something called "chronoworking"—does that mean we're getting better at prioritizing sleep in our lives? Dr. Jennifer Kanaan in UConn Health's Sleep Disorders Center says some of these strategies for better sleep that are trending on social media can be helpful, some can be a waste of money, and some can be potentially harmful. But overall, the fact that it's even a topic of conversation, particularly among young adults, is promising to someone who's spent most of her adult life trying to convince people that sleep health is important.
"What I really like about some of the things that are out there is that you're really creating these sleep rituals, sleep routines; you're inviting and not demanding sleep, and I think it's very important to foster that," Kanaan says. "This is an opportunity. Sleep has never been 'cool,' right? Now all of a sudden it's cool.
It's hip. It's interesting. People want to get a good night's sleep.
In my lifetime, they've never wanted to get a good night's sleep. So that I think is really exciting." Redirecting the energy to embrace sleep The opportunity comes from harnessing the curiosity of people who are interested enough in better sleep that they're spending time and money trying to achieve it.
It's a mindset that can make them more receptive to recommendations f.