Latest news with #SleepExperts
CNET
4 days ago
- Health
- CNET
Trouble Falling Asleep? I Tried This Viral Sleepy Girl Mocktail and the Results Surprised Me
My team of CNET sleep experts and I are always looking for the best ways of getting a good night's sleep. Between testing mattresses and researching melatonin supplements, we make time to fact-check viral social media videos. Naturally, when the "Sleepy Girl Mocktail" made its rounds on TikTok and Instagram last year, I had to test its claim of being a sleep-aid-free drink by trying it for myself. A week before I sat down to write this article, when the drink first became popular, I went to the store in search of the ingredients. Down the juice aisle at my local Publix, each shelf was stocked with rows of cranberry, apple, beet, tomato, various V8 and prune juice. But when I reached the organic juice shelf, an entire section was completely empty. The tart cherry juice was gone. Read more: Replace Melatonin With These 7 Popular All-Natural Sleep Aids The tart cherry juice was flying off the shelves. Caroline Igo/CNET This isn't a one-off experience. This seems to happen whenever there's a new viral TikTok trend. Whether it's fashion or an intriguing skincare trend, TikTok drives people in waves to new products. Not all TikTok trends are safe -- take the Nyquil Chicken videos, for example. So, is the "sleepy girl mocktail" even a good idea? I've been writing about all things sleep for years now. Here's a sleep expert's take on the Sleepy Girl Mocktail, and if I think it's worth stalking your local grocery store for new shipments of tart cherry juice. What is the Sleepy Girl Mocktail? While the original creator, Gracie Norton, first posted the Sleepy Girl Mocktail recipe in March of 2023, the trend seemed to pick up again around Dry January. TikTok creators were sharing their favorite mocktail recipes, and this brought the Sleepy Girl Mocktail back into the conversation. While the mocktail looks like an everyday non-alcoholic drink, its ingredients encourage restful sleep. This drink is simple to make. First, start with a glass -- this could be a cocktail glass, a wine glass or an ordinary glass -- and fill it with about half a cup of tart cherry juice. It's important to get tart cherry juice that's not full of added sugar; it should be 100% pure cherry juice, ideally not from concentrate. Then, mix in about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of magnesium powder and top it off with ice and sparkling water or a soda of your choice. Creators tend to use prebiotic soda -- Olipop or Poppi are options we've seen -- which contain less sugar and have some gut-friendly benefits. These measurements are not exact. You can add as much cherry juice or sparkling water as you like. It's important to follow the recommended serving size of your chosen magnesium supplement, as some people may react to too much magnesium initially. Sleepy Girl Mocktail ingredients Ice Half a cup of tart cherry juice A teaspoon to a tablespoon of magnesium powder Sparkling water or soda (usually Olipop Poppi How does tart cherry juice help you sleep? While all cherries contain small amounts of melatonin, tart cherries seem to contain more and may even improve your sleep quality and insomnia. According to a 2018 study exploring the effects of tart cherry juice on insomnia, the juice contained tryptophan that increased sleep time and sleep efficiency in insomnia patients. Tryptophan, also found in foods like turkey and whole milk, is an amino acid that helps the body make melatonin. In layman's terms, tart cherry juice contains naturally occurring amino acids that help tell the body when it is time to go to sleep. How does magnesium help you sleep? Tart cherry juice isn't the only sleep-inducing ingredient in the Sleepy Girl Mocktail. The added magnesium supplements also have an impact on sleep. Magnesium is an essential mineral that the body uses to support the immune system, produce energy, maintain healthy bones and muscles and even keep the heartbeat regular. There are over 300 biochemical functions throughout the body that require magnesium. In addition, magnesium may aid in calming your nervous system and possibly reduce cortisol levels in the body. It may also increase melatonin production in the body. Studies have shown that it can increase sleep and help those having difficulty falling asleep. What type of magnesium is best for sleep? When choosing your magnesium supplement for your Sleepy Girl Mocktail, there are a few options. Magnesium glycinate is best for sleeping. This type aids in relaxation and is easily absorbed into the body. Try to steer clear of magnesium oxide, because that is used mainly to relieve constipation. My experience with the viral sleep trend Since I live close to a grocery store, I checked nearly every day for tart cherry juice to come back in stock. A week passed and either I missed it or TikTok had cleared out my local Publix of all tart cherry juice for the foreseeable future. I begrudgingly ended up buying a bottle on Amazon instead (it's cheaper to buy in-store). Once my Amazon package arrived, I was finally able to try out a Sleepy Girl Mocktail for myself. Caroline Igo/CNET I made my first mocktail about an hour and a half before bed. I first took two capsules of magnesium -- since I didn't have any powdered magnesium -- and got out a wine glass and ingredients. I poured about half of a cup of organic tart cherry juice into my glass and filled it up with ice. Lastly, I topped it off with an orange-flavored Poppi. It tasted like a fruit punch. Despite its name, the cherry juice is sweet. I was expecting it to taste similar to bitter, like pure cranberry juice -- which I often drink (mixed with water) for its health benefits. Tart cherry juice reminds me of the sweetness of grape juice. It mixes well with the flavored Poppi that I chose, as I imagine it would with any fruit-flavored drink. While I can't speak to how it tastes with powdered magnesium, the sleepy mocktail did taste like a mocktail. It was sweet and pleasant. I was surprised to find that it was even a bit too sweet for me, especially right before bed. I'm someone who chooses savory over sweet, so it might be the perfect amount of sweetness for someone else. About 30 minutes later, I felt tired. It felt like I'd taken 5 mg of melatonin and was ready for bed. I immediately fell asleep that night. Does the Sleepy Girl Mocktail work? Caroline Igo/CNET The Sleepy Girl Mocktail really did help me fall asleep. Its two main ingredients -- tart cherry juice and magnesium -- have been scientifically proven to induce sleepiness. Tart cherry juice increases melatonin production, and magnesium decreases cortisol, promotes relaxation and sleep and regulates GABA production in the brain. You don't necessarily need to mix the two to feel the effects. You can take one without the other and vice versa. Together, the ingredients are a safe, effective and natural sleep aid. While I found the mocktail too sweet to drink every night, I plan on swapping the Poppi for seltzer water. That should help cut back on the sugar. If you don't want to spike your blood sugar before bed, herbal teas, especially those containing chamomile or valerian root, are a good alternative. Herbal tea is another natural sleep aid, and chamomile and valerian root have been proven to promote relaxation and sleep. Overall, the Sleepy Girl Mocktail is a simple drink that anyone can enjoy. If you don't want to take a melatonin supplement at night, this easy and natural sleep aid could suit you. Talk to your doctor before mixing any medications, such as blood pressure medications, with tart cherry juice.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Waking up Exhausted? This One Mistake Could Be Why, Sleep Experts Warn
Waking up Exhausted? This One Mistake Could Be Why, Sleep Experts Warn originally appeared on Parade. Feeling sluggish or tired shortly after waking up is certainly discouraging. After all, you still have the rest of the day to get through. Feeling tired in the morning is often a sign that you didn't sleep well the night before. There are a lot of different culprits for this: drinking caffeine too late in the day, alcohol consumption, feeling stressed or experiencing chronic pain can all contribute to a poor night's is no fun, but it's also common: According to Cleveland Clinic, around one in three adults worldwide have insomnia symptoms (like difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early).While the reasons we listed above are common causes of sleeplessness, there's one other major cause for poor sleep that we're not talking about it enough—and it can lead to feelings of exhaustion in the morning. It's also likely part of your bedtime routine. Here, sleep doctors reveal what it is and share what to do instead.🩺SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week💊 The Nighttime Habit That's Unknowingly Ruining Your Sleep If you tend to wake up exhausted, you might want to consider your evening screentime consumption. According to sleep doctors, using phones, tablets or computers at night can get in the way of good to Dr. Nancy Abbey Collop, MD,the director of the Emory Sleep Center in Atlanta, Georgia, one major reason screentime disrupts sleep is the screen's blue light. 'There are cells in the back of our eyeballs that send signals to our brain about the light and dark cycle, impacting our circadian rhythm. In the light spectrum, blue light is the most impactful on those sensors and actually suppresses the release of melatonin in the brain, which normally starts to be released with sundown. Melatonin assists with sleep onset and maintenance, so delaying its release results in delayed sleep onset,' Dr. Collop Dr. Scott Schecter, MD, a sleep doctor with University of Virginia Health, says this too. He explains that when melatonin is suppressed, it can increase alertness and diminish one's sense of fatigue. This makes it harder to it's not just the blue light that messes with sleep and can lead to waking up exhausted; both sleep doctors say that the content of what people tend to look at on their screens contributes to this too. Dr. Schecter points out that social media apps all use an algorithm designed to keep users on the app, which can lead to spending more time on them than you may have planned or wanted Simply put, social media apps are addictive. '[Social media] companies have learned to feed us material that keeps us engaged and can feed into pathways associated with addiction. This can increase cortisol levels and sympathetic nervous system activity that promote arousal,' Dr. Schecter Collop says that especially if what's on one's phone, tablet or computer is disturbing or energizing, it can disrupt sleep. For example, if you have a habit of using your phone to check the news or your work emails before you hit the lights, you may lie in bed awake, worrying about what you read or thinking about everything you have to do the next day. Related: What To Do Instead Okay, so screens before bed is a no-go. What should you do instead? Both sleep doctors recommend reading, not on your tablet, but an actual, physical book. 'There is scientific evidence that shows reading with indirect light [such as an overhead light or sidetable lamp] is better than reading with the screen directly in front of your eyeball,' Dr. Collop says, adding that this is likely because it cuts down on blue light exposure. To avoid the temptation of using your phone before bed, Dr. Collop recommends placing it outside of arm's reach. She also recommends not watching TV too close to bedtime because the content may be energizing or disturbing, getting in the way of good sleep. Besides reading a physical book, some other activities you can work into your bedtime routine that support sleep instead of disrupting it include moving through some gentle stretches, meditating, writing out three things you are grateful for or taking a warm shower or bath. Once you eliminate screens from your evening routine, you'll likely fall asleep faster and sleep soundly, which will lead to waking up refreshed instead of exhausted. If you are still experiencing morning fatigue, that's a sign to schedule an appointment with your primary care physician to talk about it. There could be an underlying sleep condition—like sleep apnea—that is preventing you from getting the rest you need. Screens have certainly become ingrained into our daily routines, but there's no need for us to use them 24/7. If your screentime is getting in the way of you getting good sleep, it's time to cut back on your use, especially in the evening. Your health depends on it! Up Next:Sources: Dr. Nancy Abbey Collop, MD, Director of the Emory Sleep Center in Atlanta, Georgia Dr. Scott Schecter, MD, sleep doctor with University of Virginia Health Waking up Exhausted? This One Mistake Could Be Why, Sleep Experts Warn first appeared on Parade on Jul 19, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
