Woman Reveals Why She Needs to Be ‘Restrained’ While She Sleeps

A pre-sleep routine can be a great way to prepare your body for a good night’s rest, whether you drink hot tea before getting into bed or use an eye mask to guarantee your slumber isn’t interrupted by bright lights.

With so many tools available to help manage sleep, it can be hard to know which products are right for you—so why not just try them all?

Abbi-Mae Neilson takes her sleep seriously, using various products and tools to create her “terrifying” sleep routine.

The 23-year-old model from London, England, first started building her routine during boarding school, telling Newsweek how she “always wore earplugs and eye masks so I wasn’t disturbed by my roommates.”

As her love for self-care developed, so did her sleep routine.

“In my 20s, I got super into skin care/wellness which is what a lot of my TikTok content is about, and most of the other elements were added in for their skin care or wellness benefits in the past year,” Neilson said.

“I’ve also never been a naturally ‘good’ sleeper, I used to have trouble getting to sleep and also with staying asleep.”

Neilson’s routine, which temporarily leaves her “blind, and deaf, and restrained…and I’m mute,” went viral after she posted the video on TikTok. Since she shared the video on May 7, it has amassed over 2.7 million views and 383,000 likes.

Her routine includes a neck brace, eye mask, ear plugs, mouth tape, and even adding white noise by playing rain sounds. While her routine may seem extreme to many, Neilson is so committed that she’s even taken it international.

“I always do the entire routine, whether I’m on holiday or at a sleepover. My friends definitely know to expect some strange wellness stuff from me, so it doesn’t surprise anyone,” she said.

Neilson went on to explain why she’d added each element to her routine and told Newsweek: “I use a 3D eye mask to block out light without putting pressure on or rubbing my eyelashes. The silicone earplugs (which are usually used for swimming I believe) are the best I’ve found for blocking out sound.

“The neck brace stops my cheeks from rolling onto the pillow in the night as contact with pillow cases can cause breakouts, it also encourages me to sleep on my back which is better for posture.”

Perhaps one of the more confusing steps for those not in the wellness know, Neilson applies tape across her mouth each evening. She explained that using the tape “ensures I breathe through my nose as I sleep, which has benefits for quality of sleep, face shape and oral health.”

Another step that raised eyebrows in the comments of her TikTok video was her choice to play rain sounds despite wearing earplugs to block out noise. Neilson said that she does so because “you can still hear a tiny amount of noise through the earplugs.”

“Rain noise neutralizes any outside noise so I don’t wake up in the night (I’m a very very light sleeper). I also have silk pillow cases which are better for your skin and hair,” she said.

While some may worry this nighttime routine could affect their relationships, Neilson said that her boyfriend actually inspired her to adopt these habits.

“My boyfriend is actually the reason that my routine is so crazy! He is really into wellness and tried out and implemented most of these steps before I even did,” she said.

“We live together and both do this routine every evening, I’m sure it would be a very strange sight if anyone was to come into our room in the night!”

What Do the Comments Say?

Whilst her routine is a staple part of her day, many in the comments section weren’t convinced of the practicality.

“I got claustrophobic just looking at this,” wrote one TikTok user.

A second person commented, “I could never. I’d be so afraid if someone broke in or if there was a monster.”

Others who also implemented a nighttime routine reached out to share that Neilson isn’t alone in looking “terrifying” as she goes to sleep, as one user wrote: “Finally someone who looks as absurd as me, I wear a satin bonnet, and eye mask and often a fabric strap to keep my chin from flopping down, and letting my mouth open (instead of mouth tape).”