The Cult of Sleepmaxxing

Sleep is no longer rest-it's a ritual to perfect. People are hacking their nights like workouts, chasing the myth of perfect rest

- By TANISHA SAXENA

Sleep used to be simple. Now it's a status symbol, a science, and-if you scroll through Reddit long enough-a full-blown obsession. As wellness culture crowns sleep the new cornerstone of health, the market has outgrown its humble fitness-tracker roots. Smart rings, under-mattress sensors, and bedside monitors now promise to decode the mysteries of your midnight self, mapping everything from oxygen dips to heart rhythms.

In the age of sleepmaxxingthe idea that rest can be measured, hacked, and perfected-nights have become laboratories. Redditors trade bedtime regimens like recipes: blackout curtains and magnesium supplements, thermostats, and every twitch logged by a glowing screen. "Taping my mouth changed the way I live," wrote one, swearing by a strip of 3M Nexcare Gentle Paper Tape to stop nighttime tossing and morning brain fog.

The trend, born in the internet's darker corners in 2024, is the sleep equivalent of looksmaxxing and starvemaxxing-each a pursuit of self-optimisation bordering on fixation.

But behind the buzz lies a worldwide sleep crisis. ResMed's 2025 Global Sleep Survey, spanning over 30,000 people across 13 countries, paints a grim picture and India fares worst. A staggering 94 per cent of employed Indians fall sick weekly due to poor sleep-far above the global average of 71 per cent.