Sleeping is one of the vital requirements for healthy living. Having adequate hours of sleep daily helps not only to keep the doctor away but also ensures one’s productivity during the daytime.
There are certain myths about sleeping that have become widely known and it is important to debunk some of these myths since there are no legal grounds for their acceptance.
Discussed in this article are 10 sleeping myths you should know in order to avoid patterning your sleeping habits after them as they can be detrimental to your health.
1. Everyone needs 8 hours of sleep daily
In opposition to the widely spread myth that everyone needs eight hours of sleep daily, research has shown that the number of hours of sleep for each age range differs.
The appropriate amount of sleep for different age range are shown below:
- Newborns – 14 to17 hours
- Infants – 12 to 15 hours
- Toddlers – 11 to 14 hours
- Preschoolers – 10 to 13 hours
- School-aged children – 9 to 11 hours
- Teenagers – 8 to10 hours
- Adults – 7 to 9 hours
- Older adults – 7 to 8 hours
2. The body can be trained to need less sleep
There is a widely shared myth that one can train one’s body to need fewer than 7–9 hours of sleep daily.
This is indeed a myth because according to experts, it is rare for anyone to need fewer than 6 hours sleep to function optimally.
Sleeping for lesser hours consistently can be dangerous because the body begins to drop in it optimal functioning capacity gradually and this is detrimental to one’s health.
3. Daytime naps are unhealthy
Experts sometimes recommend that people avoid naps to ensure a better night’s sleep. However, if someone has missed out on sleep during previous nights, a timed nap can help repay some of the accrued sleep debt.
Though napping isn’t necessarily bad, relying on naps to try to cope with regular sleep deprivation isn’t a winning approach. When you do need a nap, it’s best to keep it shorter than 30 minutes and early in the afternoon.
4. Sleep deprivation cannot lead to death
According to verywellhealth.com, if you only get a few hours of sleep or if you don’t get any sleep for several days, severe symptoms can develop—including hallucinations and psychosis.
After a few days without sleep, you are unlikely to die—but you will have trouble staying awake. You may fall asleep no matter what you are doing, even if that sleep isn’t as restful as your body needs.
However, severe, chronic sleep deprivation may actually lead to death. This can occur in extremely uncommon disorders such as fatal familial insomnia or sporadic fatal insomnia. These conditions make it physically impossible for a person to get enough sleep and this eventually leads to death.
5. Snoring is normal and not harmful
Occasional and light snoring usually is normal and not a problem but consistent and loud snoring should be a cause for concern.
Chronic or loud snoring may be caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a serious breathing disorder that fragments sleep and prevents a person from taking in the oxygen their body needs. Snoring can also disrupt the sleep of a bed partner or roommate.
So, if you frequently snore loudly, you are advised to see a medical practitioner for help.
6. Timing doesn’t matter in sleeping
Contrary to the belief that the timing of the day when one sleep doesn’t matter as long as one get enough our sleep, studies have shown that the timing of sleep matters. And it’s best to sleep as much as possible during the night.
Sleeping at night helps align the body’s circadian rhythm, or internal clock, with its environment. Proper circadian timing is important for sleep quality7 and affects mental health, cardiovascular function, metabolism, and other key elements of overall health.
7. The brain shuts down when we sleep
Contrary to the widely spread myth that the brain shuts down during sleep, experts have revealed that the brain remains active during sleep.
Just that patterns of activity change during different sleep stages, and in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, brain activity ramps up to a level that shares similarities with when you’re awake.
Far from shutting down, shifts in brain activity during sleep are believed to be part of why sleep is critical to effective thinking, memory, and emotional processing.
8. If one can’t sleep, it’s best to stay in bed until one falls asleep
Sleep experts recommend getting out of bed if you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes. Instead of tossing and turning in bed, it’s better to get up, do something relaxing in a quiet and dim setting (without using your smartphone or other electronic devices), and then try to go back to bed.
The reason experts advise this approach is that it’s important to associate your bed with sleep. Staying in bed while struggling to sleep can do the exact opposite, linking your bed with a feeling of frustration.
9. Sleeping with a light on is harmless
Even when you’re in bed with your eyes closed, low light can increase the risk of awakenings and may have negative effects on circadian rhythm.
Studies have also found that sleeping with too much light in your bedroom can increase eye strain and may be associated with notable weight gain.
To promote higher-quality sleep and a more stable circadian rhythm, it’s best to sleep in a bedroom that’s as close to pitch darkness as possible.
10. Napping makes up for lack of sleep at night
While a quick nap can provide a boost of energy, it’s not a substitute for quality sleep at night, especially because it doesn’t involve moving through the stages of sleep in the same way as during nightly sleep.
Many people who get insufficient sleep try to use naps to catch up on sleep, but this often just throws their sleep schedule further off balance by making it harder to fall asleep at a normal bedtime.
Long naps can also mean waking up disoriented and sluggish.
Ensuring to get an adequate 8 hours of night sleep guarantees your wellbeing and productivity. Knowing the myths about sleeping will help safeguard you from putting your health at risk because of some assumed beliefs that have no legal and medical backing.
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