Is This Gen-Z Dating Hack Also the Most Genius Sleep Hack, or Just the Funniest?

Have you ever hit the snooze button a few too many times on a day that you’re working from home? Gen-Zer Ameya Okamoto shared a sleep hack that gets her out of the house by 8 a.m. — a struggle for some of us that have an obsession with snoozing our alarms and aren’t naturally early risers. 

“It’s 8 a.m. and I’m about to get a smoothie bowl for myself in Soho and then go co-work for a couple of hours at a couple different locations,” said Okamoto in a TikTok video posted on April 1st. She adds, “You might be like Amaya, it’s 8 a.m. Are you a morning person now? How are you fixing your sleep schedule? Did you just turn 24 and just realize… it’s time to grow up?” (1)

TikTok creator Okamoto shared her “total hack” to becoming a morning person, explaining that she’s been seeing a millennial who “has a job that he has to go to in the mornings.” The video has accumulated almost 60,000 views. 

Okamoto says that this is, “kind of a hack because it gets me up” and that “he’s kind of fixing my sleep schedule.” 

As it turns out, Okamoto is not the only one with this sleep hack. One user commented on the viral video, “my partner goes to work early and it’s so nice to be up at 9 a.m. instead of 2 p.m.”  

Some Gen-Zers, who are defined by their birth dates between 1997 and 2012, have never stepped foot in an office, with many engaging in remote work for the entirety of their careers thus far. A 2022 survey found that a whopping 82 percent of Gen Z has never worked full-time in an office before. (2) 

Some TikTok creators have even joked about their remote work and sleep habits on the platform, with one viral video posted by Margaret Skiff with the audio, “I am not in bed, I am in my office.” (3) If you’re new to Sleepopolis, we don’t recommend using your bed as an office space, and finding a co-working space (like Okamoto mentioned in her video) may be a smart idea for your sleep hygiene routine.

Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can also help to improve your sleep quality. Okamoto may be finding some consistency with her wake-up time, given the in-office schedule of the millennial that she’s seeing. It’s important to note that if you do try to maintain a consistent wake-up time, make sure to follow a bedtime that allows you to get the recommended seven to nine hours, as well.

While this wild sleep hack may seem like it works for this TikToker, relationship coach Karina Daves points out a few issues that differing sleep schedules can bring to relationships. 

Daves says that conforming to your partner’s schedule can impact your own needs and wellbeing; “If your partner stays up late, you may not be getting enough sleep. You want to make sure to take care of you too and find other ways to connect.” (4) 

Daves also says that if you are willing to adjust your schedule, compromise can be a good way to make sure that you’re not sacrificing your own sleep needs. “If you have the ability to adjust your schedule though, this can be done too to compromise in the middle.” 

While this sleep hack is indeed silly — and there are definitely ways to modify your sleep schedule other than finding a partner that wakes up early — the idea of maintaining a consistent sleep schedule may help you keep your sleep quality on track. And for those that are set in their night owl ways but have a differing schedule from their early bird partner, check out our guide to sleeping as a couple for some expert tips.  

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