posted 1st May 2022
This easy ear massage is the latest sleep hack helping people drift off in minutes. Whether you are feeling particularly stressed or suffer with insomnia, struggling to fall asleep can really impact your quality of life. And we've never been more of a nation of slumber seekers than now; as after a gruelling two years of pandemic and continuously troubling news coming out of Ukraine, sleep can seem more elusive than ever.
Although if you're keen for a good quality kip tonight, there's no need to wait, because the wellness experts at BWell CBD have researched the most popular sleep hacks from TikTok, and coming out on top? This easy ear massage, first shared by Doctor Hanson (and yes, he is a legit doctor).
Although this may appear to be an unusual hack, rubbing the ridge behind your ear creates an acupressure movement so simply rub the area in a circular motion around 100 to 200 times. The end result? Calming your nervous system to help you get ready for a great night of sleep in no time. Doctor Hanson shows you exactly where to rub behind your ear if you're having trouble sleeping. He says the spot in question is called 'animian' which means peaceful sleep, apparently, and it will feel tender and sore when you initially press on it, but it's worth the initial discomfort.
Some viewers were sceptical of the science behind the technique, suggesting it's the act of counting to 200 (similar to counting sheep) that is actually the catalyst to sleep, but others, who had tried the technique were pretty impressed.
"It actually calms you down and I'm a person with bad anxiety!," wrote one user, while another added: "Not my brother saying I'm gonna rest my eyes, and 2 seconds later he's knocked out."
And if you don't love the idea of massaging behind your ear? Massage in general can help break a non-sleep cycle and send you off into a slumber. It can actually force the body to relax, pulling muscles smooth and long again and causing an increase in blood circulation. These send signals to the brain that tell it to relax.
