Many of us will struggle to get a good night's sleep, especially at times when we're feeling particularly stressed out or anxious about things.
Popular methods of drifting off vary from sipping a good old-fashioned cup of camomile tea before bedtime to spritzing a sweet-smelling lavender spray on your pillow, but there are some more unusual, lesser-known techniques out there.
For instance, a doctor has claimed that putting a pack of ice on your chest, between your breasts, can work wonders when it comes to getting a restful night - advising people to wrap the ice in some cloth before holding it in place for around 15 minutes.
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Taking to TikTok, health and wellbeing expert Dr. Alan Mendell - best known to fans as the 'motivational doc' - explained: "Putting something cold on your upper torso will help activate the vagus nerve".
The doctor - who shares content via the username motivationaldoc - added: " This helps calm you down. So, take an ice pack, put it on the chest. This will destress your body and send you off to sleep".
According to Healthline , the vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the human body, running from your brain stem to part of your colon. It's responsible for a number of internal organ functions, including digestion, heart rate, breathing, and cardiovascular activities as well as reflex actions, such as sneezing, coughing, swallowing, and vomiting.
The vagus nerve is closely linked with the quality of sleep, with its functions including balancing the nervous system by implementing a relaxation response, one of the most important aspects of a good night's sleep.
The helpful video has been viewed more than 1.6 million times, and many of Dr. Mendell's followers are keen to add the tip to their bedtime routine.
One person wrote that this same method "helps my panic attacks and hot flashes 100%".
While another commented: "Yup it’s how I breathe better! When my heart is racing or I can’t breathe properly I do this!"
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