Nicknamed the “sleepy chicken,” the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning against the latest social media challenge.
In January, a TikTok video showing people how to cook chicken with NyQuil or a similar cold medicine gained popularity. Numerous people have stitched the video making fun of the unappetizing food, even warning against it. One video called the chicken a, “permanent nap chicken.”
TikTok acted quickly to put up a warning on the site. Now, if you search for “NyQuil chicken” on TikTok a warning comes up stating, “Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing, or even fabricated. Learn how to recognize harmful challenges so you can protect your health and well-being.”
The FDA put out an urgent warning stating the harm and danger around this particular online trend. The original idea behind the NyQuil chicken entree is that it could help you sleep better while you’re sick, but this is far from the truth.
The FDA said, “Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways. Even if you don’t eat the chicken, inhaling the medication’s vapors while cooking could cause high levels of the drugs to enter your body. It could also hurt your lungs. Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it.”
While there are many sleep hacks online, it’s important to recognize that not all of them are winners and some can even be extremely dangerous for you.
What’s In NyQuil?
NyQuil is a common over the counter medication, commonly used at night to treat cold and flu symptoms. The ingredient within it that may make you sleepy is doxylamine. While doxylamine is used as an over the counter sleep aid, sleep expert Dr. Lawrence Epstein warns, “They’re not meant for the long term, but it may be okay for an occasional night of problems with sleep.”
The FDC warns that with any over the counter medicine you take it’s important to read the labels to know how much medicine you should take and how to use it.
And, as always, if you are having continuous trouble sleeping, consult your doctor.