TikTok users have gone crazy over a new sleep hygiene trend that involves wrapping themselves in a cloth before bed, similar to how you would swaddle a baby.
According to proponents, sleeping this way has a number of health benefits, including relieving anxiety, improving posture and enjoying more restful sleep.
Known as “adult swaddling,” it involves swaddling your baby from head to toe, placing your baby in a fetal position, and gently rocking or rolling your baby.
Fans of this trend say it works to relax you by stimulating touch receptors in the deep layers of your skin.
Activation of these specific nerve cells is known to promote feelings of calm.
TikTok has gone crazy over the new sleep trend of “adult swaddling,” which involves wrapping yourself in a cloth before bed.
Experts say that while there is little scientific evidence that it helps improve sleep, it may stimulate relaxation-inducing receptors under the skin.
On TikTok, hundreds of clips show young women hugging themselves with stretchy fabric before getting into bed.
In one video, one user claims that her swaddle blanket has been “the solution to years of sleep issues and insomnia.”
Swaddling is said to be beneficial because of the principles of deep tactile pressure (DTP).
This is supposed to induce a calming sensation through gentle compression, rather than just weight.
“The link between touch and arousal is well established,” Dr. Stacey Reynolds, a DTP expert at Virginia Commonwealth University, told the New York Times.
‘There are receptors in our skin and body, around our muscles and joints, that respond to light touch or deeper touch.
‘Light touch, such as a tickle or the sensation of an insect crawling on the skin, tends to be more alerting and arousing, while deep touch receptors tend to elicit a more calming effect overall.’
Swaddling is thought to be inspired by the traditional Japanese practice of Otonamaki, which involves wrapping a baby in a large cloth to improve posture.
The origin of the trend is believed to be due to the term otonamaki, which means “adult wrapper”,
However, he cautioned that there is still no scientific evidence to support the technique.
“Science has not yet fully confirmed whether they can actually help you sleep better at night,” Dr. Reynolds said.
However, there is some evidence from small studies that weighted blankets (blankets with extra-dense filling) may help you get a more restful night’s sleep.
A 2020 research review found some, albeit limited, evidence that using a weighted blanket might relieve anxiety.
While lying under a heavy blanket is not the same as being wrapped tightly in sheets, the inability to move while wrapped might produce a similar feeling of relaxation.
The trend took off after the Hugsleep swaddle blanket appeared on Shark Tank (the US version of Dragons Den) and has now exploded in the UK.
Many of the videos circulating on TikTok show fans of the Hugsleep product demonstrating its use.
However, the idea is believed to have originated in Japan, as part of the traditional therapeutic practice of Otonamaki.
Otonamaki, which directly translates as ‘adult wrapping’, involves wrapping people, usually from head to toe, in a large swath of cloth.
This practice is said to help combat stiffness and improve flexibility.