5 sleep myths: are you mistaken?

MYTH: Your body gets used to lack of sleep
FACT: Lack of sleep affects your body and brain daily
There are dozens of studies on the short-term and long-term negative effects of sleep deprivation, proving that our body does not adapt or get used to lack of sleep.

After a few nights of insufficient sleep, you will first start to feel more tired during the day. You will lose focus, but after a few weeks or months without enough sleep, this may stabilize. BUT! Your body will not function optimally or be effective.
You will start to experience difficulty making decisions; your memory, focus, and creativity will also be affected. Over time, lack of sleep will begin to show an impact on your health, metabolism, immune system, hormone production, and cardiovascular system.

MYTH: The most important thing is how many hours you sleep.
FACT: The quality of sleep and its deep phase have the greatest impact on how you feel
Don't get us wrong, how many hours you sleep is important. You should aim for 7 hours of sleep. But even more important than that is that the sleep phases are continuous and sequential. Fragmented sleep and multiple awakenings will hinder the proper sleep cycle, reducing the time of the most important period for the body and mind: restorative sleep.
If you want to learn more about the phases of sleep and why they are important, read the full article here.

MYTH: If you have trouble falling asleep, stay in bed, squeeze your eyes shut and try again.
FACT: If you haven't fallen asleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed.
Instead of tossing and turning, squeezing your eyes shut, and getting frustrated, it's better to get up and do something relaxing and quiet, without screens. You can read a few pages of a book, go out on the balcony, or even fold laundry if that calms you down.
The most important thing is to associate your bed with sleep, not with the unpleasant feeling that this is the place where "Tonight I'll be tossing and turning for an hour until I fall asleep."

MYTH: Alcohol helps you fall asleep.
FACT: Sleep quality is drastically impaired
It's not entirely untrue that you'll fall asleep easier with the drowsy and dizzying sensation of alcohol. But what we know for sure is that sleep phases are disrupted, deep restorative sleep decreases, and awakenings are more frequent. Remember, we don't always remember all our awakenings.
Due to its negative effects, recommendations are to reduce alcohol consumption before bed, and if you can't, at least leave a 2-hour gap between your last drink and bedtime.

MYTH: A warm bedroom improves sleep.
FACT: Most people sleep best and deepest at temperatures between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius maximum.
It's important to feel comfortable, but a room temperature above 24 degrees will almost certainly disrupt your sleep, causing you to toss and turn more often and likely wake up more. Although a warm bedroom sounds cozy, especially in winter, studies show that it doesn't positively affect sleep.
If you sleep at the upper permissible temperature limit, opt for an cooling mattress to avoid disrupting your restful sleep.