TikTok’s latest sleep hack involves drinking lettuce water – but does it actually work?

In the quest to achieve the best night’s sleep, I’ve tried many TikTok sleep hacks, from the military sleep method to rapid tapping. While initially hesitant, I was surprised to find that the majority of sleep tricks recommended by the social media app were incredibly effective – although I’m not too sure I’m convinced by this latest one.

The newest sleep hack currently doing the rounds on TikTok is drinking lettuce water – yes, really. While you probably don’t need an explanation, the lettuce water sleep hack involves steeping lettuce leaves in boiling water and drinking it before bed.

As gross as it sounds, many TikTok users have tried the lettuce water sleep hack and said it helped them sleep better – so does it really work?

Does the lettuce sleep hack work?

The reason people have taken to drinking lettuce water before bed is because of lactucarium, a milky substance that’s found in and secreted by types of lettuce. Lactucarium is believed to have sedative and even pain-relieving effects which somewhat explains why people are knocking back hot cups of lettuce.

However, drinking lettuce water hasn’t technically been scientifically proven to help you sleep better. While it has been tested on mice, lettuce water hasn’t been found to be effective, even during rodent-based studies – and it hasn’t really been tested on humans either.

Despite claims that lettuce’s lactucarium content can help you feel relaxed and sleepy, it’s fairly unlikely you’d feel any of these effects from a mug of lettuce water. Sleep experts have stated that the concentration of lactucarium in lettuce water would be far too low for it to actually help you fall asleep, so I’m going to go ahead and say that drinking lettuce water for sleep doesn’t work.

There are some foods you can eat before bed to get a good night’s sleep, like fatty fish, nuts, cherries and figs. If you’d prefer a drink, there are plenty of teas that can improve sleep and anxiety, and the Sleepy Girl Mocktail is another firm favourite on TikTok, so it’s not completely unheard of to use food or drink to help aid a better night’s sleep.

But instead of turning to the lettuce water, it’s best to stick to the rules of sleep hygiene, like winding down 30 minutes before bed, avoiding electronics and perfecting your sleep environment.