People aren’t staying silent about “cricketing.”
Some people swear by rubbing their feet together before bed — like a cricket — to ease themselves into a peaceful slumber, Bustle reported.
The term “cricket feet” has 53.4 million views on TikTok where sleepyheads have shared videos of themselves touting the technique that leaves them feeling snug as a bug.
In one video that has over 17,000 views, a woman named Marissa, @rissmonte on TikTok, posted a video of herself doing the technique before bed.
“Rubbing my feet like a cricket before going to bed,” the text over the video read.
Her commenters said they did the same thing to fall asleep.
“Omfg I’m so glad I’m not the only one. Every night,” someone wrote.
“It’s comforting!” said another.
“Oh same love it,” a third chimed in.
Another TikToker named Kristen, from Maine, who goes by @notyouraveragethrpst on the platform and who boasts over 426,000 followers, also loves the sleep technique.
“I just learned about this and never realized I did it before 😂😂,” she captioned the video.
Her followers also said they rely on the foot-rubbing hack to fall asleep fast.
“That’s the only way I’d go to sleep,” one wrote.
“As a kid, my mom used to tell me I should do this to help me relax and fall asleep 😅😲,” another added.
“That’s what it’s called? I’ve always done it. Never realized it was so common,” a third chimed in.
Several social media users said that cricketing is also a type of “stim,” short for “self-stimulation,” a self-soothing behavior common among people who are neurodivergent, including those with ADHD or on the autism spectrum.
Experts say that the technique has proven benefits which include calming the nervous system and helping your body “self-regulate.”
Likening the habit to acupuncture, Dr. Eileen Li, a Chinese herbalist and a physical therapist, told Bustle that the feet are “full of nerve endings and an array of acupressure points, that, when stimulated, are known to help regulate and calm your central nervous system.”