Overview

• Millions of sleepmaxxing posts flood TikTok, X and Instagram promoting extreme routines such as mouth taping and neck hanging.
• The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a George Washington University report have dismissed these methods as unproven, citing lack of medical evidence.
• Experts warn that mouth taping can worsen sleep apnea and fuel orthosomnia, an anxiety-driven fixation on achieving perfect rest.
• Chinese state media reported a fatality last year linked to the neck-hanging routine promoted by sleepmaxxing influencers.
• Influencers monetize sleepmaxxing by marketing unregulated products from melatonin gummies to light-filtering eyewear despite inconsistent evidence.