I looked at my watch as I trudged to the couch. 2:30am Again. It was like clockwork every night. Wake around 1:30am, toss and turn for an hour, then give up and head to the living room.

For over a decade, I’ve struggled to sleep through the night. I’ve tried natural medicines, meditation apps, white noise machines, weighted blankets ― you name it. In pursuit of a solid night’s rest, I’ve spent thousands of dollars funding the sleep product industry.

When I started seeing a sleep hack going viral on social media, I had to try it. At least it was free, so I had nothing to lose. I decided to test it for two weeks.

It’s almost absurdly simple: close your eyes and roll your eyeballs slowly side to side, then up and down, then in circles, clockwise and counterclockwise. Keep the rolls slow and even until you get sleepy.

The hack gained traction after surgeon Dr. Katelyn Tondo-Steele shared it on Instagram, claiming it worked for her 14 out of 15 times when she woke in the middle of the night. Her video racked up millions of views, with countless commenters swearing by the method.

Does it work, or is this just another viral placebo destined to disappoint chronic insomniacs like me? We asked experts to break it down.

Why This Trick Might Help You Fall Asleep

There’s a neurological explanation for why this might work.

“By forcing your eyes to move back and forth in slow, smooth arcs, you’re simulating the oscillations that naturally take place during REM sleep,” explained Kiara DeWitt, a paediatric neurology nurse. “It’s a sort of subconscious messaging system to the rest of the nervous system that we should wind down rather than rev up.”

But there’s a simpler theory.

“When we wake in the middle of the night, the real problem isn’t just the waking. It’s the sudden, panicked thought: ‘Oh no, I’m awake. I’ll be exhausted tomorrow,’” said psychiatrist Ishdeep Narang.

Those thoughts trigger stress, keeping you alert. “This technique works by giving your mind a simple, boring, physical task to focus on. Instead of letting your thoughts spiral into anxiety about the clock, you are hijacking........

© HuffPost