A "life hack" from my 5-year-old

A "life hack" for trouble sleeping.
(Photo by Chance Agrella/FreeRangeStock.com)

Want to know a trick for those nights when you're tossing and turning and can't get to sleep?

Blink your eyes really fast for 60 seconds.

That was a tip from my daughter one night when I was tucking her in.

"It's a life hack," she said with a small, shy smile that seemed to say, "I'm not sure what a 'life hack' is."

"It is?" I said. "Well, I'll give that a try sometime."

I didn't even have to ask where she learned this "life hack." One of her favorite YouTube channels is DIYLover, which is full of videos of crafts and tips, like making your own lipstick pencil or cutting your hair by yourself.

She loves to see what can be done, and I have to say, I love that she's learning from it. The channel even gave her an idea for a recent gift she gave me. It was two mugs with her artwork baked on (she enlisted her daddy to buy the supplies and work the oven). I don't drink coffee and I rarely drink cocoa, but I wouldn't trade the mugs for anything.

By the way, I have given her "life hack" a try. I'm not sure blinking fast will help if I drink a bunch of caffeine right before bedtime or if I am stressed out over work, but on an average night when I don't feel tired when I go to bed, it does seem to shorten the time it takes me to get sleepy.