“Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? This is for you,” is the hook of meditation coach Emily Kessler’s viral TikTok, which has well over 150,000 likes.
In the video, Kessler shares what she calls “a really strange and weird hack for sleeping, that sounds like it makes no sense” but, she claims, it has helped her and “literally everybody else I’ve ever told it to.”
The hack goes like this: when you’re in bed, trying to sleep, take some deep breaths and start to visualize a house that you know well—but not your own. Then, visualize yourself walking into the house, and around each room, noticing as many details as you can.
Kessler says she imagines her grandmother’s old house, and: “I’ve literally never made it upstairs at her house.”
Rex Isap, sleep expert at Happy Beds, told Newsweek that, while this hack might not work for everybody, he liked that it used visualization.
“Visualization has been the focus of many sleep studies,” said Isap. “It’s been proven to reduce anxiety and improve relaxation, two things which are really important for quality sleep. For that reason, I think this trend could work for a lot of people.”
Kessler told Newsweek that the trick was something she’d heard years ago, that had stuck with her, adding: “I’ve used it for many years for myself.”
“It’s super effective!” said Kessler. “It works because it basically distracts our thinking mind by occupying just enough with something sort of rote and familiar, so that we stop thinking about anything stressful or anxiety provoking, and this enables us to more easily dip below the thinking brain and into restful sleep.”
The key is in the details, said Isap. “Honing in on small details, such as door handles, curtains and pictures, will make your house much more immersive. The more detailed the image in your head, the more effective it becomes as a distraction.
“You can’t worry about work or other daily stresses if you’re absorbed in the little details of your house.”
A young woman falls asleep while imagining a living room (inset). Meditation coach Emily Kessler recommended imagining walking around a comforting house, and visualizing its details, to make falling asleep easier.
Liudmila Chernetska / KatarzynaBialasiewicz/Getty Images / Canva
Choosing the right house to imagine is important too. Kessler advised people not to think about their own houses, to make sure location is not so overly familiar that people get “caught up in stressors or memories associated with certain things or rooms.”
Isap added that it is essential that the house pictured creates a positive, comforting, soothing image.
“A house that feels scary, chaotic or carries negative connotations could cause tension and anxiety, which are not conducive to rest,” he said.
If no houses fit that bill—comforting and the right level of familiar—then Kessler suggests choosing a different location, such as a grocery store, airport, mall, drive, trail or hike.
However, there are some people for whom the hack just won’t work, “and that’s okay,” said Isap. For instance, if you struggle to visualize a house clearly, trying to force it might just create stress.
“There are a lot of different sleep hacks that you can try,” said Isap. “For example, you could practice some guided breathing exercises or listen to calming sounds.
“Last year, we saw a lot of interest in pink and brown noise on TikTok. These sounds work well for many people because they mask outside noises and mimic natural sounds.”
Kessler also recommended looking at the video’s comment section, which she said had become “a treasure trove of ways to fall asleep easier, sleep better and wake up feeling more rested.”
Do you have a tip on a food story that Newsweek should be covering? Is there a nutrition concern that’s worrying you? Let us know via science@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
