Good afternoon sleepy binches, or those of you who have stumbled upon this article at 4am googling “how to sleep fast” instead of actually sleeping. TikTok reckons it’s found the answer to calming you down and getting your noggin into sleep mode, and it’s actually backed by science.
Earlier this year, TikTokers were swearing by a home remedy of boiling lettuce water to send you to sleep land, (which is also backed by science FYI), but now our online friends have moved on to icepacks, which they claim work just as well when it comes to calming you down at bedtime.
According to the TikToker behind this hyper-viral new trend, @heyfrankiesimmons (Frankie Simmons). all you have to do is put an icepack onto your chest for around 15 minutes and you’ll be dosing off in no time, with not a care in the world.
“A couple of years ago, it was a very regular occurrence for me to wake up at 4am with anxiety all the time,” Simmons says in the TikTok vid.
“I’d have to pull myself out of bed and do all this breathwork and energy work, and tea drinking, and like spend forever trying to calm myself down and go back to sleep.”
Long story short, the ice worked for her. Don’t believe me? Well, you can see for yourself.
@heyfrankiesimmons happy icing! #internetbigsister #polyvagaltheory #vagusnerve #anxietyrelief #healingjourney #nervoussystemhealth #selfcareroutine
According to Simmons, the icepack helps to cool down the vagus nerve, which is one of the longest nerves in the body. It’s responsible for controlling your parasympathetic nervous system, which is essentially how you calm down.
“Applying cold to the vagus nerve helps it release inflammation,” says Simmons.
“Just put an icepack in the centre of your chest. Wrap it in a towel, lie down for at least 15 minutes, or longer if you need to.
“It is *chef’s kiss* — a game-changer.”
But fear not if you don’t have an icepack lying around, frozen peas or an icy cold shower will do the trick, too.
According to a 2018 study, TikTok isn’t just full of lies and dance trends, and this claim actually has a lot of truth to it. In the study, it was found that temperature regulation and cooling applied to the vagus nerve helps you to calm down.
Makes sense that something that relaxes you can also relieve your mind and help you sleep.
Time to try this for myself and finally get a blissful, albeit frosty, rest.
