Why everyone is standing barefoot on salt before bed – and does the viral trend actually work?

SOCIAL media users have been rushing to try an unusual bedtime wellness hack. The viral 10-minute trend is believed to have both physical and mental benefits. Social media users have been stomping on salt before bed (stock image) Credit: Getty The skin on the sole of the foot is said to absorb minerals from the salt for various health benefits (stock image) Credit: Getty While most people’s nightly routines involve doing skincare and brushing their teeth, a new step has become popularised online. Salt-stomping involves taking your shoes off and wriggling your toes in salt before you go to bed. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! Derived from grounding practices, the routine involves using coarse Epsom salt to help your relax and wind down before you go to sleep. According to the trend, you should stand in the salt for around 10 minutes, and can even multi task while doing your skincare routine. Social media users such as Ana (@move_with_ana) claim to have felt a wide range of benefits from the unusual practice. Ana said salt-stomping has helped to exfoliate dead skin, reduce puffiness and inflammation, and help sore or tired feet. As well as direct benefits for the feet, the Instagram user also said the practice has helped to support relaxation and stress relief, lower cortisol, and help shift the nervous system into “rest mode” before sleep. She added that it also has a grounding effect that helps your body wind down, creating a calming nighttime ritual for your brain and body. Most read in Fabulous “Honestly, the whole routine feels very calming and satisfying, and then sound of the salt is weirdly therapeutic,” Ana told her followers. However, there is currently no scientific evidence to back up the idea that salt-stomping can help to lower cortisol, increase serotonin, or improve circulation. As well as debunking these benefits Katie Parobek, founder and director of The Well health and wellness clinic in Notting Hill also discredited the idea that the magnesium in Epsom salt is able to absorb through feet. “The skin is an effective protective barrier, and the soles of the feet are particularly thick, making significant absorption even less likely,” she explained. “The evidence supporting magnesium’s role in nervous system regulation and sleep relates primarily to dietary intake or oral supplementation, rather than topical application.” Despite this, the trend has taken the online world by storm, with dozens of social media users claiming to feel the benefits. Comment now