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If TikTok is anything to go by, 2025 is the year of sleepmaxxing. The buzzy term, which has clocked up millions of views, refers to maximising your sleep quality and quantity using hacks, habits, and gadgets galore. Think blackout blinds, magnesium mocktails, red light bulbs, and no screens post-7 pm.
As someone who regularly struggles to get consistent, high-quality sleep (despite all the best intentions), my interest definitely piqued when I first spotted sleepmaxxing on my FYP. I started wondering if “optimising” my way to better shut-eye could be the fix I’ve been searching for – or on the flip side, if sleepmaxxing was just another wellness trend that promises more than it delivers?
So, I spoke to sleep experts about what the trend gets right, what it misses entirely, and what actually works if you want to sleep better. Below, they share their complete guide – debunking the trending term and sharing simple, actionable tips for improving your sleep quality in no time.
While you’re here, make sure to check out our take on other viral trends dominating the world of TikTok, including the silent walk, the colour walk, and Mel Robbins’ infamous morning routine.
Seen the term “sleepmaxxing” all over your TikTok FYP? Your expert-led guide
What is sleepmaxxing?
If you’ve spent any time scrolling through #wellnesstok lately, you might have come across sleepmaxxing and been left wondering what it means. Well, as the name suggests, this concept is all about taking your sleep routine to the next level.
“Sleepmaxxing is a current trend doing the rounds on TikTok which refers to ‘maximising’ sleep quality and quantity using various methods,” explains Dr Maja Schaedel, sleep expert and Director of The Good Sleep Clinic. “In theory, this is an excellent goal to aim for, and it’s what sleep experts aim to do in treatment.”
In short, it’s not just about clocking more hours of sleep. It’s about tailoring your routine, environment, and habits to encourage deeper, more restorative rest.
As you can imagine, there’s been a range of methods and tips shared online in the name of sleepmaxxing, from pre-bed wind-down rituals and blue-light blocking glasses to investing in blackout curtains and carefully curated morning routines. But while the intention is to support better sleep, experts caution that not every tip circulating online is necessarily helpful.
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What do the experts think?
So, would sleep experts recommend sleepmaxxing? Well, not really, it seems. “As a sleep expert, I do not recommend the sleepmaxxing trend per se, but I do recommend following science-backed healthy sleep habits,” Dr Schaedel said to MC UK.
Dr Schaedel goes on to explain that some sleepmaxxing tips are definitely helpful, such as reducing alcohol and caffeine consumption before bed. Others – not so much.
“I’ve seen some of the sleepmaxxing rhetoric recommend the use of sleep trackers and sleepy girl mocktails, both of which are unlikely to do much and in some cases, they can actually make sleep worse,” she commented.
She added that sleep trackers can make it harder to feel relaxed, “leading to stress and anxiety at bedtime and make it harder to fall asleep. And with regards to the mocktails, drinking a long drink before you go to bed will make you more likely to wake up during the night.”
James Wilson, also known as The Sleep Geek, expressed even stronger sentiment with regards to the sleepmaxxing trend: “I wouldn’t recommend sleepmaxxing at all. The extreme nature of the practice leads to over-obsession and attempting perfection, when in reality, perfect sleep doesn’t exist.”
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How to *actually* improve sleep quality
The experts might not be on board with the extreme nature of sleepmaxxing, but something they do support is the desire to get better-quality sleep. So, how do we go about doing that exactly?
Below, the pros have shared their top tips for improving sleep, and rest assured, these are tried and tested.
1. Notice your disruptors
Before adding new habits, take stock of what might already be interfering with your rest. “If you are struggling to sleep, work out what might be triggering this,” Wilson advises. “Kids, pets, partners, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, light, noise, stress or anxiety and even the bloke down the road going to work at 04.30 can have an impact. Try to minimise whatever it is that’s impacting your sleep.”
Keeping a sleep diary for a few days can help identify patterns. If you’re being bothered by a source of noise that you can’t control, try wearing earplugs. I recently bought myself a pair, and they’ve definitely helped me move towards more restful sleep.
2. Wake up at the same time every day
You might have heard this one before, but how many of us genuinely stick to it? Sleep experts always advise waking up at the same time each day (and yes, that includes weekends) if you’re looking to build healthier sleep habits.
“This will protect sleep going forward rather than just prioritising feeling well rested the following day,” explains Dr Schaedel. “If you wake up later on one day, this sets back sleep for the following night and potentially the nights that follow.”
3. Try “Top n Tail” sleep
If you’re spending more time in bed awake than you are asleep, it might be time to trim things back. “Top n Tail sleep means going to bed a bit later and/or waking up a bit earlier,” says Dr Schaedel. “It may seem counterintuitive to have less time in bed, but it makes it more likely to have a better quality of sleep.”
This will probably make a lot more sense to you if you’ve ever lain in bed for hours on end chasing sleep (me too). “But this is the last thing we want to be doing really, as it reinforces the association between not sleeping and being in bed,” Dr Schaedel explains.
4. Increase your movement during the day
When we’re physically active, our body builds up something called sleep pressure – essentially, the drive to sleep that accumulates throughout the day. “Going for a walk or run, or going to an exercise class or the gym will help to increase sleep pressure and ensure better quality sleep,” Dr Schaedel clarifies.
The beauty of this one is that there’s not really a right or wrong, so long as you’re moving your body in a way that feels good to you. And there’s a lot of research to back up the link between exercise and sleep. This 2023 review of studies highlights a strong correlation between an increase in physical activity and improved sleep quality, for example.
5. Try progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation is a tried and tested technique used in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), which involves tensing and then slowly releasing muscle groups throughout the body. “It helps to relax your body, which in turn helps your brain to understand that it can also relax, and stop producing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which get in the way of good quality sleep,” says Schaedel.
This study proved that progressive muscle relaxation is effective in helping reduce symptoms of anxiety and improving sleep quality. It’s definitely one to bookmark for later.
6. Minimise screen time before bed
Again, this is one we’ve all heard before, but can be guilty of ignoring. But putting our phones down before bed is one of the easiest wins when it comes to getting better sleep.
Blue light from screens can interfere with melatonin production, which is the hormone that helps regulate sleep, FYI. Aim to switch off all screens at least 30 to 60 minutes before bed and opt for wind-down activities like reading, stretching, or journaling instead.
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Are there any benefits of sleepmaxxing?
In theory, sleepmaxxing should bring many benefits, as it’s all about improving sleep quality. But, the trend creates a lot of pressure around achieving the “perfect” sleep, which reduces its positive potential.
“Understanding good sleep comes from feeling physically and mentally secure,” sleep expert Wilson says. “We cannot force sleep, and the harder you try, the worse it gets. You need to ensure your sleep time fits your body’s natural rhythm, that you are sleepy (don’t go to bed if you are not) and ensure you wind down before bed. That’s the most important thing.”
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