Social media is full of misinformation, untested tips and questionable hacks, so we know we can’t believe everything we see there. But new research gives us hope, at least about one topic on one platform. According to a new study, most sleep tips shared on TikTok are backed by scientific evidence.
The research, which is being presented this week at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, finds:
- Researchers analyzed the most-viewed TikTok videos that use the tags #sleephacks, #sleephygiene or #sleeptips to identify sleep tips included.
- They found a total of 295 sleep tips in 58 videos, which included repeated recommendations, then narrowed it down to 35 unique sleep tips.
- Out of those 35, 29 are supported by scientific evidence and only six aren’t.
- The science-backed sleep tips cover everything from shorter time to fall asleep to increased deep sleep and higher sleep satisfaction.
Lead study author Brian T. Gillis notes that while health advice on TikTok is unregulated, his team’s research shows that content creators are getting it right when it comes to sleep recommendations. “These results suggest that the sleep research and sleep medicine communities have done a good job of promoting appropriate tips for sleep hygiene,” he explains. “This means the public is learning what we want them to know about sleep in a place - social media - where many people feel comfortable learning health information.”
Read the full article at Medical Xpress