With two million views, over 244k likes and nearly 70,000 saves, TikTok’s latest viral sleep hack is being hailed as a “game changer” – and experts say there’s some truth to the hype.
TikTok user @hey.im.rach has captured the internet’s attention with one simple recommendation: “listen to binaural beats and take a 30min nap”.
Featuring the track 963 Hz by Albert Van Deyk, this trend has sparked widespread curiosity, with the frequency racking up over 144k streams on Spotify and 141.7k videos on TikTok.
Binaural beats occur when two slightly different sound frequencies are played in each ear, creating the illusion of a single tone. Research has shown that binaural beats can have a positive psychophysiological effect – decreasing negative mood and reducing anxiety.
For people who struggle to wind down or feel restless, binaural beats can be an easy and natural way to relax.

Putting the nap hack from ‘TikTok’s mom’ to the test, sleep expert at Happy Beds, Rex Isap, has shared his thoughts on the viral trend:
“When you play binaural beats, it increases your brain’s alpha wave activity, promoting feelings of calm and restfulness. Alpha waves are associated with relaxation and reflection, and can help to induce sleep. This is because they are related to Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep, which happens at the beginning of your sleep cycle. Listening to binaural beats can be a good way to ease into a nap.
“Like all sleep hacks, binaural beats won’t work for everyone. While some people will find calming sounds effective in reducing mental chatter, others will need to combine these sounds with good sleep hygiene practices. Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule and creating a relaxing bedtime routine with activities like reading and meditating will signal to your body that it is time to wind down.
“Rachael is also right, in that a 30 minute nap is the optimal amount of time to aim for when it comes to grabbing a midday rest. Keeping naps short, between 20 and 30 minutes, prevents you from entering a deep sleep which can leave you feeling groggy when you wake up.
“Timing and environment will play a big part in your nap too. You should aim to nap in the early afternoon, ideally before 3pm. Any later and you risk disrupting your nighttime sleep, leaving you tossing and turning later.
“Deep breathing techniques can help to increase your brain’s alpha waves even further. You can try box breathing, a technique where you inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds and hold again for four seconds. Closed-eye visualisation, like the house tour sleep hack which went viral on TikTok earlier this year, can also complement binaural beats to create the perfect napping environment.”
For those who find it hard to fall asleep during the day, it may be time to turn up the volume on some binaural beats and give TikTok’s viral nap hack a try. It might just be the calming sleep aid that works for you.