TikTok's potato bed trend promises cosy cocoon but experts flag risks
The potato bed is a hot new sleep method on TikTok, about two months old, that creates a soft, cocoon-like sleeping space on top of a bed.
To make a potato bed you place a fitted sheet upside down on the mattress, stuff the edges with pillows and blankets to form a thick rim, layer blankets and duvets in the empty centre, and then stretch a duvet over the top.
The setup is described as a soft, cosy cocoon — compared by the article to what a dog might sleep in and said to leave room for only one person, with users enjoying the feeling of being “swaddled like a newborn.” The piece includes the quip that a potato bed is “the best way to hide from the world.”
Sleep experts cited in the article warn of downsides: an unsupported, uneven sleeping surface could exacerbate back pain, the insulated setup will make you far too warm to achieve restorative sleep, and making a potato bed for young children carries a suffocation risk.
The report places the trend in the wider context of a growing “sleep economy” — said to be worth $585bn (£422bn) in 2024 — and notes conventional alternatives such as a properly supportive mattress, a dark, quiet room and avoiding caffeine and electronics before bed. What is known: how to build a potato bed, its TikTok popularity and expert cautions about warmth, spinal support and child safety. What remains unclear in the piece is whether the potato bed delivers genuinely restorative sleep for most people.
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