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Neuroscientist reveals 'very strange' trick to fall asleep in five minutes
🇷🇸 Serbia /Health & Science

Neuroscientist reveals 'very strange' trick to fall asleep in five minutes

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman shared a sleep trick involving prolonged exhalation and eye movements, claiming it can induce sleep within five minutes.
  • The technique, explained on "Real Time with Bill Maher," is based on research into the brain's amygdala and its role in emotional responses.
  • Huberman suggests that moving eyes behind closed eyelids can calm the amygdala, reducing fear and promoting relaxation, similar to natural eye movements during walking.

A neuroscientist has revealed a peculiar technique that he claims can help people fall asleep in as little as five minutes. Andrew Huberman, a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University and host of the popular "Huberman Lab" podcast, shared the method during a recent appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher."

If you wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back asleep, try to just exhale for a long and extended period. And now comes something that sounds really strange, but has a physiological basis. Keep your eyes closed and just move your eyes left-right behind your eyelids, back and forth.

— Andrew HubermanThe neuroscientist described his sleep trick during an appearance on 'Real Time with Bill Maher.'

The trick involves two main components: performing long, extended exhales and, while keeping your eyes closed, moving them back and forth behind your eyelids. Huberman explained that this seemingly strange practice has a physiological basis rooted in the brain's emotional regulation centers. He confidently stated, "I can bet my little finger that you will fall asleep again in about five minutes."

I can bet my little finger that you will fall asleep again in about five minutes.

— Andrew HubermanHuberman expressed confidence in the effectiveness of his sleep technique.

Huberman elaborated on the science behind the technique, drawing a connection between eye movements and the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for processing emotional responses, particularly fear. He posited that specific types of eye movements can suppress amygdala activity, leading to a calmer state. This aligns with evolutionary perspectives, as natural eye movements during activities like walking help us analyze our surroundings and simultaneously calm the fear response.

Eye movements of that kind actually suppress amygdala activity and make people feel more calm and less afraid.

— Andrew HubermanHuberman explained the physiological basis of the technique during a podcast.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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