One can always find a host of tips on TikTok, ranging from kooky to ultra-serious. One of the latest to build up some serious buzz comes from a health professional and is intended to help you fall asleep more easily. You may have heard it before but this should help you better understand why it is important to reserve the bed for its primary function: a place of rest to help you fall asleep.
Sleep — its quantity, quality or lack thereof — has become a source of anxiety. While it may be common to feel tired in the evening in the midst of a binge-watching session on the sofa, once in bed, it is often impossible to fall asleep. A phenomenon amplified by the last couple of years’ rhythm of successive lockdowns and widespread remote working, which both undermine the main function of our cherished bedrooms, and even more so our beds.
Earlier this year, in the United Kingdom, a study showed that 36% of Britons had difficulty getting to sleep on at least a weekly basis and that almost half of the country experienced sleep problems at least once a month. This finding could be related to the phenomenon of “conditional" or “learned" arousal, as explained by Dr. Karan Raj on TikTok. This is a fairly simple psychological concept explaining that we have unconsciously taught our bodies that bed is a place to stay awake. This phenomenon has greatly increased since the pandemic with lockdowns and increased time spent at home encouraging staying in bed for entire days, doing anything and everything. The doctor, who counts 4.9 million subscribers, explains that watching TV shows, scrolling on your phone, working or even eating in bed has allowed the body to associate the bed with a place of wakefulness.
On social networks, the video is buzzing with nearly 500,000 views. However, some followers are a bit skeptical about the tip, which seems so easy, questioning why they always feel sleepy on the sofa when they also spend a lot of time there. But this health tip isn’t exactly new, as it has been recommended for years by various doctors and sleep specialists. To get a better night’s sleep, keep your bed for its original purpose.
