Acupuncturist, Dr Eileen Li, claims a strangely named TikTok trend will help you get a little more sleep – but don’t worry, it doesn’t involve any creepy crawlies
If you struggle to doze off at night, you may have tried and tested countless remedies to get some more shut-eye. From avoiding screens to sniffing lavender – it can be so overwhelming to find effective hacks among baseless internet myths.
But acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, Dr Eileen Li, claims a TikTok trend called ‘cricket feet’ will save you a lot of bother, taking just a matter of minutes to do. Despite its strange name, you may be grateful to know it doesn’t involve any creepy crawlies and simply refers to the act of rubbing your feet together.
This technique may seem trivial at the surface, but the movement can actually serve to stimulate countless nerve endings and points of pressure in our feet, triggering a soothing effect. Speaking with Bustle, Dr Li said: “Foot rubbing, also known as foot massage, is a form of relaxation and stress relief.
“It can help alleviate tension, improve blood circulation, and provide a sense of comfort and well-being.”
Two specific areas, referred to as ‘Liver 3’ and ‘Kidney 1’ are key points of interest when trying to cricket, according to Dr Li. The first is found between toe number one and two at the top of your foot, while the latter is on the ball of your foot between the second and third toes.
These are what’s known as ‘acupuncture points’ and, when stimulated, it’s believed they can send chemicals to our brains and muscles while soothing any pain. Massaging these areas with your fingertips is also recommended by Dr Li for a better night’s rest, which she flagged in a recent TikTok.
Posting to her page (@anew.acu), she said: “It’s time to go to bed, rub your feet. Try out these two points 30 minutes before bedtime. Looking at the bottom of the foot, between the second and the third toe, you’re going to drop down over the foot pad into a little ditch. Use your thumb to press down.
“You want to hold it there for about 30 seconds, you can massage it in circles, go clockwise, go counter-clockwise. This acupressure point is known as Kidney 1 in Chinese.”
Moving on to Liver 3 she continued: “Between the big toe and the second toe, you’re going to find the webbing and drop down into a little ditch. You can also use your thumb for that as well.”
If you’re feeling ambitious, Dr Li says you can even rub Kidney 1 and Liver 3 at the same time using just your forefinger and thumb. She added: “Kidney 1 and Liver 3 are two amazing point combinations commonly used in acupuncture treatments, but you can have it right here at home with acupressure and experience the effectiveness of Chinese medicine.”
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