A nurse says this one-minute habit helped her sleep through the night—could it work for you?
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If you keep waking up in the middle of the night and lying there wide awake, you’re not alone.
For some, the frustration of staring at the ceiling can be enough to trigger full-blown insomnia.
But one Aussie nurse believes she’s found a way to hack the cycle—and her sleep data might back her up.
Jenna Coak, a nurse, had gone viral on social media after sharing a tip she learnt online that helped her fall back asleep within minutes.
‘I saw this trick and I was like, “No way does this actually work”, but I’ve tried it a couple of nights in a row and it’s the best trick I’ve ever tried,’ she told her followers.
Coak explained that the method involved keeping the eyes shut while mentally moving them: right, left, up, down, then in a circular motion both clockwise and counter-clockwise.
She repeated the movement pattern until she nodded off—and said it worked within minutes.
To prove it wasn’t a fluke, she shared sleep statistics from her Oura ring, a smart health-tracking device that monitors key data like sleep duration and wake time.
Before she tried the hack, her Oura ring showed she spent about an hour and a half awake during the night, especially between 3:00 am and 5:00 am.
After implementing the technique, her total awake time dropped dramatically to just 24 minutes.
Source: TikTok/jenna_coak
Her updated sleep data showed fewer wake periods, and the ones that did occur were much shorter.
‘It feels like some voodoo magic,’ she laughed, recalling one night when she only needed to do the process twice before falling asleep again.
Sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo said the technique could be effective for many people, describing it as a form of bilateral stimulation.
‘The pattern of the eye is called bilateral stimulation, increasing connectivity between right and left hemispheres, which helps reduce anxiety,’ she explained.
‘It also uses cognitive reframing, which distracts from mental rumination and requires mental focus.
‘It avoids the use of a phone, which is the typical go-to for those waking through the night, and contributes to greater anxiety, restlessness and sleeplessness.’
However, Arezzolo noted that if you want to stop waking up in the first place, it’s essential to address the root cause—often stress.
‘Waking frequently in the night could be due to high cortisol levels driven by stress, anxiety, alcohol or excessive caffeine,’ she said.
Rather than just trying to fall back asleep faster, she suggested tackling the physiological triggers of poor sleep.
Cooling the core body temperature, doing breathwork or meditation, and using natural aids like magnesium or ashwagandha before bed could all help.
Avoiding blue light and reading instead—especially using red night lights—can also reduce stress and encourage rest.
‘Many people believe that just because they wake due to stress, the only solution is to reduce stress,’ she said, but added that physiological tools during the night can work just as well.
She also recommended getting out of bed if you’re lying awake for too long, and engaging in a non-tech, low-stimulation activity.
Lavender aromatherapy and reading were also among her top suggestions, as both activate the parasympathetic nervous system and calm the brain.
Returning to bed only when you're close to sleep helps retrain your body to associate the bed with rest—not anxiety.
If you’ve ever found yourself wide awake at 3:00 am wondering what more you can do to get quality sleep, you’re not alone.
While simple tricks like Jenna Coak’s eye movement hack can work wonders, experts say your bedtime habits might be just as important.
From what you drink to how you wind down, this next piece breaks down the do’s and don’ts of better rest.
Read more: Unlock the Secrets to Quality Sleep: Sleep Experts Expose Bedtime Habits You Must Adopt (And What to Avoid)!
Waking up mid-sleep is common—but finding a method that works for you could be the secret to finally resting easy.
For some, the frustration of staring at the ceiling can be enough to trigger full-blown insomnia.
But one Aussie nurse believes she’s found a way to hack the cycle—and her sleep data might back her up.
Jenna Coak, a nurse, had gone viral on social media after sharing a tip she learnt online that helped her fall back asleep within minutes.
‘I saw this trick and I was like, “No way does this actually work”, but I’ve tried it a couple of nights in a row and it’s the best trick I’ve ever tried,’ she told her followers.
Coak explained that the method involved keeping the eyes shut while mentally moving them: right, left, up, down, then in a circular motion both clockwise and counter-clockwise.
Nurse's viral sleep trick stuns internet. Image source: TikTok/Jenna_Coak
She repeated the movement pattern until she nodded off—and said it worked within minutes.
To prove it wasn’t a fluke, she shared sleep statistics from her Oura ring, a smart health-tracking device that monitors key data like sleep duration and wake time.
Before she tried the hack, her Oura ring showed she spent about an hour and a half awake during the night, especially between 3:00 am and 5:00 am.
After implementing the technique, her total awake time dropped dramatically to just 24 minutes.
Source: TikTok/jenna_coak
Her updated sleep data showed fewer wake periods, and the ones that did occur were much shorter.
‘It feels like some voodoo magic,’ she laughed, recalling one night when she only needed to do the process twice before falling asleep again.
Sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo said the technique could be effective for many people, describing it as a form of bilateral stimulation.
‘The pattern of the eye is called bilateral stimulation, increasing connectivity between right and left hemispheres, which helps reduce anxiety,’ she explained.
‘It also uses cognitive reframing, which distracts from mental rumination and requires mental focus.
‘It avoids the use of a phone, which is the typical go-to for those waking through the night, and contributes to greater anxiety, restlessness and sleeplessness.’
However, Arezzolo noted that if you want to stop waking up in the first place, it’s essential to address the root cause—often stress.
‘Waking frequently in the night could be due to high cortisol levels driven by stress, anxiety, alcohol or excessive caffeine,’ she said.
Rather than just trying to fall back asleep faster, she suggested tackling the physiological triggers of poor sleep.
Cooling the core body temperature, doing breathwork or meditation, and using natural aids like magnesium or ashwagandha before bed could all help.
Avoiding blue light and reading instead—especially using red night lights—can also reduce stress and encourage rest.
‘Many people believe that just because they wake due to stress, the only solution is to reduce stress,’ she said, but added that physiological tools during the night can work just as well.
She also recommended getting out of bed if you’re lying awake for too long, and engaging in a non-tech, low-stimulation activity.
Lavender aromatherapy and reading were also among her top suggestions, as both activate the parasympathetic nervous system and calm the brain.
Returning to bed only when you're close to sleep helps retrain your body to associate the bed with rest—not anxiety.
If you’ve ever found yourself wide awake at 3:00 am wondering what more you can do to get quality sleep, you’re not alone.
While simple tricks like Jenna Coak’s eye movement hack can work wonders, experts say your bedtime habits might be just as important.
From what you drink to how you wind down, this next piece breaks down the do’s and don’ts of better rest.
Read more: Unlock the Secrets to Quality Sleep: Sleep Experts Expose Bedtime Habits You Must Adopt (And What to Avoid)!
Waking up mid-sleep is common—but finding a method that works for you could be the secret to finally resting easy.
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