diff --git a/experimental/packages/opentelemetry-instrumentation-http/src/http.ts b/experimental/packages/opentelemetry-instrumentation-http/src/http.ts
index 9262bfae177..c0003cb7ed1 100644
--- a/experimental/packages/opentelemetry-instrumentation-http/src/http.ts
+++ b/experimental/packages/opentelemetry-instrumentation-http/src/http.ts
@@ -90,6 +90,32 @@ import {
   SemconvStability,
 } from './internal-types';
 
+/**
+ * This is by no means general-purpose nor completely safe, but for the purpose
+ * of the instrumentation in this module, we want to check if a node module
+ * looks like a ESM with a default export aliased to itself. That is – modules
+ * that supports both:
+ *
+ * ```
+ * import { request } from 'node:http';
+ * ```
+ *
+ * ...and...
+ *
+ * ```
+ * import * as http from 'node:http';
+ * const { request } = http;
+ * ```
+ */
+function hasEsmDefaultExport<T extends object>(
+  moduleExports: T
+): moduleExports is T & { default: T } {
+  return (
+    (moduleExports as { [Symbol.toStringTag]?: string })[Symbol.toStringTag] ===
+      'Module' && 'default' in moduleExports
+  );
+}
+
 /**
  * `node:http` and `node:https` instrumentation for OpenTelemetry
  */
@@ -233,23 +259,22 @@ export class HttpInstrumentation extends InstrumentationBase<HttpInstrumentation
       'http',
       ['*'],
       (moduleExports: Http): Http => {
-        const isESM = (moduleExports as any)[Symbol.toStringTag] === 'Module';
         if (!this.getConfig().disableOutgoingRequestInstrumentation) {
           const patchedRequest = this._wrap(
             moduleExports,
             'request',
             this._getPatchOutgoingRequestFunction('http')
-          ) as unknown as Func<http.ClientRequest>;
+          ) as unknown as Http['request'];
           const patchedGet = this._wrap(
             moduleExports,
             'get',
             this._getPatchOutgoingGetFunction(patchedRequest)
-          );
-          if (isESM) {
+          ) as unknown as Http['get'];
+          if (hasEsmDefaultExport(moduleExports)) {
             // To handle `import http from 'http'`, which returns the default
             // export, we need to set `module.default.*`.
-            (moduleExports as any).default.request = patchedRequest;
-            (moduleExports as any).default.get = patchedGet;
+            moduleExports.default.request = patchedRequest;
+            moduleExports.default.get = patchedGet;
           }
         }
         if (!this.getConfig().disableIncomingRequestInstrumentation) {
@@ -280,23 +305,22 @@ export class HttpInstrumentation extends InstrumentationBase<HttpInstrumentation
       'https',
       ['*'],
       (moduleExports: Https): Https => {
-        const isESM = (moduleExports as any)[Symbol.toStringTag] === 'Module';
         if (!this.getConfig().disableOutgoingRequestInstrumentation) {
           const patchedRequest = this._wrap(
             moduleExports,
             'request',
             this._getPatchHttpsOutgoingRequestFunction('https')
-          ) as unknown as Func<http.ClientRequest>;
+          ) as unknown as Https['request'];
           const patchedGet = this._wrap(
             moduleExports,
             'get',
             this._getPatchHttpsOutgoingGetFunction(patchedRequest)
-          );
-          if (isESM) {
+          ) as unknown as Https['get'];
+          if (hasEsmDefaultExport(moduleExports)) {
             // To handle `import https from 'https'`, which returns the default
             // export, we need to set `module.default.*`.
-            (moduleExports as any).default.request = patchedRequest;
-            (moduleExports as any).default.get = patchedGet;
+            moduleExports.default.request = patchedRequest;
+            moduleExports.default.get = patchedGet;
           }
         }
         if (!this.getConfig().disableIncomingRequestInstrumentation) {