Does boiling lettuce help you sleep? Bizarre trend taking over TikTok

The strange trend sees people drinking hot water soaked in a common vegetable – but does it actually work?

If you find yourself laying in bed at night unable to doze off, then you might want to pop the kettle on.

But rather than making a cuppa right before bed (which could actually keep you awake for longer), people are boiling lettuce in a mug which is putting them to sleep in seconds.

We get it, it sounds absolutely bonkers but there is some truth to the mind-blowing hack, according to the experts, and it‘s a sure way to tackle insomnia.

TikTok user Shapla Hoque first made the claim in a clip she shared online, which has gone on to rack up more than 4.8 million views.

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TikTok users are claiming boiled lettuce water helps them sleep. Picture: TikTok/Shapla Hoque.

Shapla Hoque put it to the test in a now viral TikTok. Picture: TikTok/Shapla Hoque.

In the clip, Ms Hoque boiled a kettle and poured the boiling water on some washed lettuce leaves which were shoved in a mug, before removing them as she sipped on the water.

Worried it would taste revolting, she popped in a peppermint tea bag for taste, however this isn‘t a required step – you could, however, try camomile instead which is known to induce sleep.

At first, the nightcap makes her “a bit drowsy” and then in what seems like no time at all, she’s completely knocked out in her bed.

Desperate for a decent sleep, people took to the comments and revealed they would give it a go, with one admitting: “On my way to the shop to buy 30 lettuces.”

While someone else said, “My mum used to do this for me, boiled water and leave it in the pan for 5 min on a minimum heat, always worked a treat and it’s all natural.”

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She said it made her drowsy. Picture: TikTok/Shapla Hoque.

And helped her nod off easier. Picture: TikTok/Shapla Hoque.

So how does it actually work? Well, studies from 2013 and 2017 back up the seemingly bonkers claims with experts suggesting that lettuce, particularly, romaine, contains a phytonutrient, called lactucarium which is said to induce sleep and relieve pain.

According toLadBible, the 2017 report stated: “Lactuca sativa (lettuce), an annual herb which belongs to the Compositae family, is known for its medicinal value. Traditionally, lettuce has been suggested to have a sedative-hypnotic property.”

And concluded: “The results of this study show that lettuce, especially romaine lettuce, is an interesting and cheap source of sleep-potentiating material and antioxidant polyphenols.

“The seed and leaf extracts derived from romaine lettuce potentiates the pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviour in mice.”

So there you have it. Stock up on some crispy lettuce and you‘ll be sorted.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission