 |
| pixabay.com |
Today, I'm going to take seven of the most commonly believed myths that you likely still believe about sleeping, and explain the truth behind them. You've likely heard many of these myths in your life and some of you might actually be living your lives by them. So, in an attempt to give you some much nicer Z's, here are seven myths you still believe about sleep.
1. The more sleep you get the better.
Oh, if only this were true. It's a very common myth that if you're able to, you should sleep as long as you possibly can. And if you love sleep, this sounds too good to be true. And that's because it is. Studies have shown that people who sleep more than eight hours a night on average, die younger than people with a shorter sleep schedule. Now this does not mean that you should be sleeping as little as possible because that has been proven to bring about even more dangerous effects. Longer sleeping patterns have been linked to sleep apnea, diabetes, and even depression.2. A warm glass of milk will help you fall asleep.
Moms little trick to quickly get you a snoozing, a warm glass of milk is still many peoples go-to method of ironically jump-starting the sleep process. This myth stems from milk containing tryptophan, an amino acid that produces serotonin. In turn, serotonin is essential for healthy sleep. So this all makes perfect sense, right? Well, it turns out that after studying milks effects on the body, scientists discovered that milk alone, won't give your body that knock-out punches that it needs. Your body also requires foods loaded with carbohydrates, which helps it produce insulin. Coupled with tryptophan, the carbs will help bring out the effects that milk alone simply won't. It is speculated that milk actually has a psychological effect on our sleeping patterns.3. Watching TV while in bed helps you fall asleep.
The most popular thing to do before going to sleep for many people, especially in North America, is watching TV. Many feel that the moving pictures, light, and noise are a sleep aid possibly because most of us have found ourselves passing out while watching it on occasion. But the truth is, studies have shown that sleeping while the TV is on can actually lead to health issues such as depression and, ironically, insomnia. Additionally, when our bodies are exposed to blue light, which televisions emit, they stop producing melatonin, and we actually feel more awake. So chill with the Netflix before bed or else you gone be up all night marathoning and marathoning. That's actually what they're hoping for.4. If you wake up during the night, you'll be tired the next day.
You might be surprised by how many people's understanding of how sleep work is influenced by fictitious ideas. This particular idea says that if you don't get all of your sleep in one continuous set of hours, you'll be drowsy the next day. However, sleep studies have shown that waking up in the middle of the night doesn't affect the amount of energy you have the next day. Unless, of course, you fail to go back to sleep. One particular study done on a group with no artificial light in the room found that subjects woke up one or more times during their sleep and actually said that they felt more rested the next day than ever before. Drowsiness comes from a number of sources but not sleeping for eight straight hours is not one of them.5. You can catch up on sleep.
This one might throw you for a loop. There are millions of people who still live their lives by this myth. The idea is that if you're busy during the week with work and school and can't find enough time to get in more than a few hours of sleep every night; you can actually catch up on sleep on the weekend. Well sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that's not how our bodies work. Though that 11-hour sleep-in on Saturday morning might feel beneficial at first, after about six hours the energy will drain away leaving your reaction time about 10 times slower.Also, you're accumulating a sleep debt, which can lead to health problems. Maybe it's time you start better scheduling your nights.
6. You can stay awake while driving by turning up the radio or opening the window.
This one should be obvious, mostly because if you're too tired to drive. It's selfish to go behind the wheel, but that lecture aside, this myth states that if you're sleepy while driving, just roll down the window and let that cold air hit you, crank up the music and you'll be zapped back to the land of alert. Yeah, not so much. Those methods can not only prove futile but can actually be dangerous for the driver. Multiple studies have shown that any effect that they have on a tired driver is either incredibly brief, say a minute or two, or doesn't work at all. Your very best bet is to pull over and catch a 15 to 45-minute nap. Please remember guys, it's not just your life that you're risking by tired driving, it's others on the road as well. And I want your face alive for a long time. So please be safe.7. You need less sleep as you get older.
Our final myth for today is about age. This common notion is that the elderly require less sleep than younger people. While experts recommend seven to nine hours of rest each night, many people believe that the older you get, the less that that rings true. This could possibly be because the older generation has a habit of getting up so much earlier than young people. Well to bust this myth, let me ask you a question. Have you ever wondered why grandpa is always napping? Well as it turns out, we all need roughly the same amount of sleep to remain healthy. But while most of us sleep only at night, older people tend to take naps during the day, adding to the total amount of sleep that they're getting.So now you know a little bit more about your sleep, and hopefully, you get some better Z's. Thank you guys so much for reading.
If you enjoyed this article, please let me know by commenting below and of course be sure to subscribe our newsletter. Thank You
0 komentar