Getting Sleep Information From Social Media

Source: Steve Buissinne/Pixabay

Sources of health information and advice are more available than ever before. In generations past, people relied on family, friends, pharmacists, and physicians. They had to be cautious about unregulated and untested products: salves, tonics, preparations, etc. that promised relief and cures. In our era, websites, television, and social media provide many alternative health information sources in addition to those used in the past.

What the present has in common with the past is the need to decide what is trustworthy among often differing and contradictory pieces of health advice. One of my friends frequently says sarcastically, “I know it’s true, I saw it on the internet.” Consider how many different diets and diet products are promoted through online media. Marketers often pay physicians and other medical or pharmaceutical professionals to give testimony about a product’s effectiveness. Advertisements typically include personal testimonies from individuals who are said to have used the product. Advertising is all about persuasion to accept information given as established fact.

So what about information regarding healthy sleep? How can we be sure that information is accurate and advice is sound? That question applies to my blog and those of other professionals who post here on Psychology Today, and it applies to content provided by both sleep professionals and nonprofessionals on social-media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook. Surprisingly, only recently has the question been asked by sleep professionals. In a presentation at the most recent annual Sleep conference in Houston, a member of our Auburn University research group, Dr. Brian Gillis, shared the results of a study he and colleagues conducted.

The research team viewed 58 videos on TikTok with the hashtags #sleephacks, #sleephygiene, and #sleeptips. In those videos, 295 recommendations were identified (with many repeated) and the 35 unique tips were sorted into to seven themes that were then compared with empirical studies testing the efficacy of each. Peer-reviewed publications with randomized and nonrandomized control trials and correlational studies were included. Among the outcome measures for the sleep tips were shorter time to fall asleep, longer sleep, increased sleep quality, better subjective satisfaction, and less daytime sleepiness. Of the 35 tips, 29 (82.8%) were found to be supported by empirical evidence.

While more research is needed with all the different media sources of information, the study’s conclusion is that, generally speaking, the information was reliable. Fortunately, compared with media advice about diet, nutrition, prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals, suggestions for better sleep do not vary widely, and this study found that a very high percentage were backed by valid scientific studies. That said, anyone who has sleep problems or has a family member with serious sleep problems should consult with a medical professional.

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