Falling asleep anywhere, sleeping less than 5 hours, a night without sleep, snoring loudly, taking a nap, exercising…
Everyone likes to sleep well. In principle. And everyone likes to be well informed about sleep. In principle.
But there are also many people who are not well informed about this subject. They believe in what someone said, what they heard, ideas that come from other generations because “the old ones know”.
One focused precisely on myths about sleep, led by experts to identify the false beliefs about sleep that affect people’s sleep health practices, identified 20 myths about sleep. We leave the list here.
Fall asleep “anytime, anywhere” It’s a sign of a healthy sleep system. No. In fact, if this happens, it is very likely that you are suffering from chronic sleep deprivation.
Sleeping 5 hours or less is enoughfor many people. Neither. The minimum is 7 hours of sleep per night; Less than that puts cardiovascular, metabolic, mental and immune health at risk.
“The body gets used to it” fewer hours of sleep. There is no evidence to show that the body, or the brain, adapts to less than 7 hours of sleep per day. Studies show the opposite: you will find it increasingly difficult to stay awake the longer you are sleep deprived.
Older, more sleep. On the contrary. Older adults sleep less than younger adults.
Is more sleep always better? No: people who sleep more than 8 are more likely to… die.
A sleepless night causes lasting problems. This is not necessarily true. If you go two nights without sleeping, it is true that your cognitive capacity drops; but if you recover, if you make up for lost sleep, you must go to the place.
It doesn’t matter what time you go to sleep. False. It’s true that sleeping during the day is better than no sleep at all – but studies of night shift workers prove that sleeping during the day increases the likelihood of developing diabetes, depression and cancer.
Lying in bed with your eyes closed It’s almost as good as sleeping. No. You need the famous REM sleep (rapid eye movement) to really benefit from sleep.
Stay in bed and try to fall asleep againif sleeping is a difficulty. If you can’t sleep, you should follow the principles of “stimulus control therapy”: get out of bed, avoid blue light, and only go back to bed when you feel sleepy.
Snoring loudly is a problema warning sign. False: It is generally harmless.
Sleeping deeply means not moving at night. No. Moving while sleeping is normal. The amount of movement seems to depend on age: those between 18 and 30 years old move less.
Snoozing the alarm 10 minutes is better than getting up when the alarm rings for the first time. False. Postponing the alarm reduces mental flexibility and worsens mood.
Sixth. It doesn’t necessarily help. Napping can perpetuate insomnia.
Drinking alcohol before bed improves sleep. False: Alcohol delays the onset of REM.
Warmer room is better. Not really: a temperature between 18°C and 21°C is ideal for sleeping. Higher temperatures worsen sleep quality.
Boredom can cause drowsiness. No. Boredom alone is not associated with drowsiness, according to studies.
Watching TV in bed relaxes you. Wrong. Watching television before bed causes excitement, which can delay falling asleep.
During sleep, the brain is not active. False. Several things happen during sleep: neuronal activity in the thalamus and brainstem, or rapid activation of neurons during REM sleep.
Remember your dreams It’s a sign of a good night’s sleep. Not really: you’re more likely to remember your dreams if you wake up during REM sleep — which, in itself, isn’t a good thing.
Do physical exercise up to 4 hours before bed disturbs sleep. On the contrary: exercise and sleep appear to be mutually beneficial.
