Sleep science, not sleep hype
A Neuroscientist's "Eye Trick" Is Going Viral. Here's the Part That's Actually Proven.
If you've scrolled past a clip of Andrew Huberman lately, you've probably seen the "weird eye trick" for falling back asleep: close your eyes, roll them slowly in circles, and apparently your brain lets go of tracking where your body is in space enough to drift off. Huberman is a real, credentialed neuroscientist, and the brain systems he's pointing to (your cerebellum, your vestibular system, the sense of where your limbs are) are genuinely real. What's missing is a published study on this specific exercise. It's his own reasoned idea, not something that's been tested and proven.
So we went looking for what actually has been tested — on that exact same vestibular system he's talking about — and found something a lot simpler, a lot older, and a lot better documented.
The real study
Rocking. The Same Motion That Used to Put You to Sleep as a Baby.
Researchers at the University of Geneva put healthy adults in a bed that gently rocked side to side — one full swing roughly every four seconds — and measured what happened compared to a still bed. The rocked group fell asleep faster, spent more time in deep sleep, and woke up less during the night. Their brains even showed stronger sleep spindles, the brainwave bursts tied to overnight memory consolidation. The same research team ran the experiment again in mice, and again in adults with genuine insomnia complaints, not just good sleepers — and got the same result both times.
Published in Current Biology — tested in both mice and healthy human adults.
A follow-up study in the Journal of Sleep Research found the same benefit in adults with real insomnia complaints.
What actually helps
No Eye Exercise Required
You don't need a lab-grade rocking bed to use this. A rocking chair or glider before bed, a hammock, or one of the rocking bed bases now on the market all engage the same vestibular system the Geneva study measured — the same one that senses motion and balance, quietly telling your brain it's safe to power down. It's not a guaranteed fix for every sleep issue, and if you're dealing with ongoing insomnia, that's worth talking to a doctor about directly. But as a wind-down habit, it's one of the few sleep "hacks" floating around online that actually has real, repeated research behind it.
Curious what else genuinely helps calm an overactive nervous system at bedtime? Take a look at NSDR or vagus nerve activation — both free, self-directed techniques that work on the same rest-and-digest system.
And if a consistent bedtime itself feels like the bigger battle in your house, we've also broken down why the number on the clock matters less than you'd think.
Watch the breakdown
About the Author
Troy Gundersen
Troy is the co-founder and owner of Clear Mind Utah, a family-owned microcurrent neurofeedback center in American Fork, Utah. He and his wife Valerie opened the center after experiencing firsthand how a stuck nervous system can quietly take over, and how much is possible when it finally shifts. Troy works alongside Val and their daughter Sydni to help adults and families across Utah County find their way back to calm. Learn more about the team →
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Individual experiences vary. This technique is offered as general self-care information and is not a substitute for medical or mental health treatment. Clear Mind Utah provides microcurrent neurofeedback as a wellness and nervous system support service. We do not diagnose, treat, or cure any medical or mental health condition. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact a qualified professional or call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
