Yet another "viral" method is being sold as the secret to better sleep. It's called 10-3-2-1, and unlike most TikTok tricks, the real effect has a basis - but so does the real effort no one wants to admit.

The formula is simple: 10 hours before bed - no caffeine. 3 hours before bed - no food. 2 hours before bed - no intense work or exercise. 1 hour before bed - no screens.

Dr José Viña, longevity advisor, puts it scientifically: "Sleep scientifically promotes healthy ageing. Uncontrolled stress reduces the capacity for sleep; bad sleep shortens life." In other words - sleep is not something you don't have because "there's no time." It's something you lose because you don't protect it.

On eating, Diego Suárez from COEUS Retroaging clinic says something concrete: "Night digestion slows by 5%. Eat before 9pm." Which means a dinner at 10:30pm with whisky and dessert literally sits in your stomach while you sleep - and that's what you have to outwit by morning.

On exercise - Jorge Lobo, founder of Piko Studios: "Intense exercise before sleep raises the pulse and cortisol." Which means the group training class at 9pm is fine for those who fall asleep easily. For those with sleep problems - not so much.

And screens? Blue light blocks melatonin. That's what makes this the hardest to pull off. Who, after a long workday, will refuse to scroll through their phone before bed? No one. That's why this method doesn't work for most people - not because it's bad, but because it requires discipline that modern life no longer tolerates.

If you want to try something - not all four rules at once. Start with one: coffee in the morning only. That's simply measurable, and it's the biggest win you can score without anyone getting cross with you.