In today’s fast paced life, lack of sleep has become a common problem. About 30% of people suffer from insomnia, which causes them to keep tossing and turning throughout the night. However, there is a trick going viral on social media that claims that just 10 seconds of lying down can make you fall into a deep sleep. It’s called the “10-second toe trick.”
In it, you have to apply pressure with your big toe on a specific part of your other foot, which reportedly releases the hormone melatonin and makes people snore. Instagram user the.elizara shared the video, which has received millions of views under the title “Can’t Sleep? The 10-Second Toe Trick”. But is it really magic or just hype? Let’s know the truth, science and precautions behind this trick.
This is how this trick works
the.elizara is a popular health influencer account, on which this trick is shared. The video shows that while lying on the bed, pressure is applied with the toe of the right foot near the knuckles of the other foot. Maintain pressure for about 10 seconds. It is claimed that this sends a signal to the brain, which releases the hormone melatonin and induces sleep. In the video, this entire process is shown through animation. The video has since been flooded with comments – one writes, “Slept at 2 am!” And some say, “Tried, but it didn’t make any difference.”
More effective than drugs
This trick is based on reflexology, which comes from Chinese medicine. According to reflexology, there are brain, pituitary and pineal gland points in the toe. The pituitary gland is called the ‘master gland’ because it controls other hormones. By applying pressure, blood flow increases, nerves are stimulated and the body goes into relaxation mode.
One study found that foot massage improved sleep for 70% of people.
Websites like mindbodygreen offer DIY foot reflexology methods, where pressing the head/brain point on the top of the big toe brings clarity to the mind. But the.elizara’s trick focuses specifically on the 10-second pressure, which seems to be the highlight version of it.
However, scientists do not consider this to be a completely scientific method. Sleep expert Terri Krall says that hormone fluctuations, screen time or low testosterone can be the cause of insomnia. honehealth.com says this method takes a few minutes, but the real magic happens in the last 10 seconds — when the body is completely relaxed from head to toe.