5 Myths About Sleep: Have You Been Misled?

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

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

MYTH: The most important thing is how many hours you sleep.
FACT: Sleep quality and deep sleep 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 for your sleep stages to be uninterrupted and consistent. Fragmented sleep and multiple awakenings make it difficult for the sleep cycle to function properly, reducing the time spent in the most important period for your body and mind: restorative sleep.
If you want to learn more about the stages 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 becoming frustrated, it is better to get up and do something relaxing and quiet, without screens. You can read a few pages of a book, go out onto the balcony, or even fold the laundry if that helps you relax.
The most important thing is to associate your bed with sleep, rather than with the unpleasant feeling that this is the place where “I’ll toss and turn for an hour again tonight before I fall asleep.”

MYTH: Alcohol helps you fall asleep.
FACT: Sleep quality is severely disrupted
It is not entirely untrue that you will fall asleep more easily with the drowsy and dizzy feeling caused by alcohol. But what we know for certain is that sleep stages are disrupted, deep restorative sleep is reduced, and awakenings become more frequent. Remember that we do not always remember all our awakenings.
Because of its negative effects, recommendations are to reduce your alcohol consumption before bed, and if you cannot, 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 most deeply at temperatures between 18 and 24 degrees at most.
It is important to feel comfortable, but a room temperature above 24 degrees will almost certainly disrupt your sleep, cause you to toss and turn more often, and probably lead to more awakenings. Although a warm bedroom sounds cozy, especially in winter, studies show that it does not promote good sleep.
If you sleep at the upper end of the recommended temperature range, choose a mattress with cooling fabric, so you do not disrupt your restorative sleep.