Okay, so J Balvin, the reggaeton superstar, is out here telling us his big secret for a good night’s sleep. And you’re not gonna believe it. Or maybe you will, if you’re one of those people. He watches horror movies. Like, actual scary, jump-scare-y, monsters-under-the-bed kind of movies. To fall asleep. Let that sink in for a second.

Seriously? Scary Movies for Bedtime?

I mean, look, I’ve heard it all in my fifteen years of doing this. Celebrities, they’ve got their quirks, right? But this? This is next level. Most of us, we’re trying to unwind with some soft jazz or a really boring documentary about, I don’t know, competitive cheese rolling. Balvin’s apparently kicking back with The Exorcist or something equally terrifying. And then drifting off to dreamland. Wild.

He told Haute Living in a cover story – because of course this is the kind of detail that comes out in a fancy magazine interview – that he just lets the scary “energy pass.” Says he’s “having fun.” Fun? Dude, I watch The Bachelorette for fun, not a film where a doll tries to murder me. But hey, different strokes, I guess. He’s got that whole Zen thing going on where he’s so detached, nothing really gets to him. Must be nice, huh?

Is This Even a Thing?

Honestly, my first thought was, is this some kind of reverse psychology sleep hack? Like, your brain gets so freaked out it just shuts down? Or maybe it’s the adrenaline crash after a particularly gnarly scene that just knocks him out? I’ve seen some articles pop up lately about how some folks find horror movies relaxing. Yeah, I know. It sounds completely bonkers to me too. But apparently, for some, the controlled fear, the distraction from real-life worries, can actually be a weird form of escapism. Like, your problems seem a lot smaller when a ghost is trying to possess a teenager on screen.

So, Are We All Doing Sleep Wrong?

The thing is, we’re all out here trying every trick in the book. Weighted blankets. Essential oils. White noise machines that sound like a gentle rainstorm (or a thousand cicadas, depending on the setting). And this guy’s just like, “Nah, give me a demon possession flick and a bag of popcorn.” It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Have we been overthinking this whole sleep hygiene thing? Should I just swap out my meditation app for Hereditary?

“I don’t let that energy come to me – I just let it pass. I’m having fun.” – J Balvin to Haute Living

And you know, if it works for him, who am I to judge? The man’s a global superstar. He’s got a gazillion streams, tours the world, deals with all the pressures that come with being J Balvin. He probably has a million things buzzing in his head constantly. Maybe a good old-fashioned slasher movie is just what he needs to clear the mental clutter. Distraction by terror, perhaps? It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off.

What This Actually Means

Look, I’m not gonna lie. I’m not about to try this myself. My sleep is precious, and I prefer it sans nightmares of creepy dolls or shadowy figures. But it does highlight something pretty interesting about how different people cope with stress and unwind. What’s soothing for one person is pure anxiety fuel for another. Balvin’s approach is definitely an outlier, and a fascinating one at that.

It also reminds us that celebrities, for all their gloss and glamour, are still just people with weird habits. And sometimes those habits are really, really weird. So next time you’re struggling to fall asleep, maybe don’t immediately reach for the remote to queue up Saw. But if you’re feeling adventurous, and you’ve exhausted all other options… well, you heard it here first. Or, you know, from J Balvin. Sleep tight, don’t let the horror movie monsters bite.