Maybe you’re a traveller and don’t give a damn about how many time zones you travel through and how many days you spend jet-lagged AF. Maybe finals are coming up and you want to avoid failing a lot more than you want sleep. Or maybe you just have no self-control and like to spend night after night after night binge-watching every movie and show, ever.
Either way, if you suspect that you’re not getting enough sleep, there’s a clever trick that can help you figure it out. It’s called the Sleep Onset Latency test, and it’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds. Trust me, you could do it… in your sleep! LMAO!
For this test, all you need is a metal spoon, a metal plate/tray, and your watch.
This experiment is best performed during the early afternoon hours of the day. The trick is to check the time, and then lie down and shut your eyes with the spoon in one hand, leaning over the edge of your bed.
The moment you completely doze off, the spoon will inevitably slip out of your hand, fall onto the metal plate placed below it, and wake you right up with a bang!
As soon as you’re up, note the time it took you to fall asleep. If it took 15 minutes, your sleep habits are just fine. 10 minutes, and you may be neglecting sleep to some extent. But if it takes 5 minutes or less for you to snooze, you might be dealing with severe sleep deprivation here.
Watch the experiment in action in this video:
So try it out! You never know what kind of stress you’re putting your body through if you’re sleep deprived and unaware of it.
