• From sleeping pills affecting your health to alcohol that helps you sleep but with a
few side-effects, we count 15 rumours in the world of sleep that simply aren't true
15 - Catch up on sleep during weekends, • Most believe that if you don't sleep much
during the week, whether because of work, parties or otherwise, that you can recover
this "sleep debt" with long weekend mornings • And while sure, your body can recover
with one long night of sleep, the effect only lasts about 6 hours into the day before your
body starts to shut down • This is called a chronic sleep debt, too
much exhaustion spread over too many days to the point where you can't actually recover
without it affecting your own consciousness 14 - Lack of Sleep, (don't read from here)
• If you're working 9 till 5, you're likely thinking to yourself that even if you don't
get a full night's sleep then it doesn't matter because it won't have any impact on your health
• But the reality is: even one hour of sleep lost for a night can increase your risk of
heart attack, especially if you're sleeping less than 8 hours a night
• Not only that, but for those perpetually sleep deprived, they're at a high risk of
heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, obesity and depression
13 - Sleeping Longer, • Likewise, if you often sleep in and you
think you're out of the clear - think again - most who sleep more than 8 hours a night
usually die younger than those that don't • Studies haven't shown any direct evidence
for this, but most long sleepers suffer from depression, diabetes and sleep apnea - and
it's THAT which ends their life • So it's up to you: do you want to deprive
yourself of sleep, suffer a heart attack and die, or would you rather sleep in, get depressed,
choke on your own snores and die?
12 - Hitting Snooze, • The entire purpose of a snooze button
on alarms is to help you wake up slowly - and it works, right?
• Well, studies have shown that even needing a snooze button shows you're not getting enough
sleep - that you should have the energy to wake up as soon as the first alarm goes off
• Those in a regular sleep schedule shouldn't need to hit the snooze button nearly as much
11 - Power Naps, • The thing about power naps is: they're
meant to be short.
A full 20 minute rest when you're tired can recharge your body, any longer than that and
you'll feel groggy unless you are, in fact, a human cat
• And don't get too used to it - if you do it too much, your brain will take this
as a sign you don't need to sleep as much at night, which'll make it harder to nod off
10 - Asleep During Day, • If you fall asleep during the day, usually
it means you're just lazy or you have nothing else to do - but it's actually a message from
your body • It's saying: hey, you're not sleeping
enough at night, I need some extra zzzs or I'm going to give you the motor function of
a snail covered in honey • After that point, it's up to you to decide
how you're going to get those extra hours 9 - Insomnia,
• We've all felt it - you can't get to sleep because you're worried about that thing happening
tomorrow, or you're anxious because bad things are happening in your life right now
• Most chalk it up to insomnia, but being worried about something can only keep you
awake for a certain period of time - it's merely short-term insomnia and it'll go away
• Long term insomnia is usually caused by more serious problems; pain, medication, depression,
and they should be fixed pronto 8 - Snoring,
• When someone snores, sure it's annoying but it's so common that you'd think it harmless
- but no • Chronic and loud snoring is actually a
symptom of sleep apnea, in which your lung airways get blocked and you stop breathing
• In turn, this raises your blood oxygen levels and increases your risk of high blood
pressure and heart attack 7 - All-nighter,
• Anyone can tell you this one, but you'd be surprised how few heed its message - if
you think pulling an all-nighter to prepare for something like a big test works, it doesn't
• But not because you'll be exhausted, but because deep sleep encourages the consolidation
of memories from the day before, essentially helping you remember all these things
• If you haven't slept, you aren't actually learning much because you'll be so confuddled
by lack of sleep when the test comes along 6 - Waking Up At Night,
• We all know the pain of waking up way before our alarm and not being able to get
back to sleep - but did you know that this is actually a good thing?
• For millennia, animals and humans alike have been stirring in the night, but so long
as they nap the rest of their hours sometime in the day, you're still fulfilling your sleep
quota • In fact, those that do this, to wake up
in the night and spend those few hours relaxed only to fall asleep again later - they felt
even more refreshed than usual • If you do it every night though - see
a doctor 5 - Alcohol,
• The rumour goes that if you're feeling a buzz from alcohol, you'll actually sleep
better because you'll essentially pass out or get more relaxed from a single beer
• However, while this is true, the side effects nullify the positives - if you have
a drink, no matter what size right before bed, it actually affects your deep sleep,
disrupting it constantly • Not to mention it leads to snoring and
worse breathing, both of which make you feel awful the next day
4 - Stay in Bed, • If you spend more time in bed, you'll
eventually get so bored that you'll HAVE to sleep - right?
• Well unfortunately, your mind will start to associate bed with being awake, when it's
supposed to be the opposite - and spending LESS time in bed promotes actually sleeping
• If you're awake and alert, the best thing you can do is move outside your room for a
while until you feel tired again 3 - Cheating Time,
• Can you cheat yourself out of one less hour of sleep per night without any negative
side effects?
• Well, the fact is your body should be used to a certain routine, and to deviate
impairs your ability to think and react as fast - even if you don't feel tired during
the day • It also makes you more prone to infections
and even compromises your cardiovascular health if you keep doing it
2 - Night Terrors, • Nightmares are extremely common, and they're
actually related to sleepwalking, bedwetting, sleep talking and teeth grinding - harmless,
but unpleasant • On the other hand, night terrors are different
- they happen BEFORE you go to sleep right when you're getting drowsy, and it terrifies
you right to the core • Most common in children, after you have
one you might start screaming, and then the next morning you can't even recall it happening
- a great way to scare the shit out of your parents
1 - Sleeping Pills • If you have insomnia, you might've turned
to sleeping pills as a rather effective treatment - but the truth is they're only designed for
short-term use in temporary insomnia • The health risks for taking even just
a few sleeping pills in a given year is high - an increased risk of cancer and general
health problems • The root of your insomnia should be dealt
with long before you develop a reliance on pills - and even just to reset your sleeping
pattern which could be better solved with cognitive behavioural therapy