Common myths that keep you up at night
You need eight hours of sleep
In a perfect world, we would all get eight hours of sleep and feel well rested. But we are all different people with different habits and lifestyles, so eight hours for one person may not work for someone else. As long as you feel awake, energized, and rested, that is the appropriate amount of sleep you need.
Couples should always share a bed
There is a stigma that couples who don’t share a bed have a bad relationship, but why should one person suffer from loud snoring or other disruptive habits? As long as you and your spouse recognize that sleeping separately can actually be quite healthy for your relationship, your sleep will improve.
If you’re tired, go to bed early
There’s a difference between feeling tired and sleepy, yet the words seem to be used interchangeably. Being tired can refer to many different things, including being bored. If you’re feeling tired, rather than heading to bed, try simply relaxing on the couch or catching up with a friend.
You can make up sleep on the weekends
Have you ever noticed that you shut off your alarm by the weekend and are waking up much later to “make-up” what you lost during the week? You actually aren’t making up “lost” sleep. This can disrupt your body’s schedule. Instead, stick to a routine so you are consistent.
Showering helps wake you up
Instead of opting for a shower as a means to wake up, shower or bathe prior to sleep to promote a more restful sleep. You can use a body wash with lavender or orange to promote relaxation.
You can’t sleep too much
Like all things in life, even sleep has its limits. Just as too little sleep is bad, too much sleep is bad for you too. Chronic oversleeping is linked to a higher risk of stroke and heart disease, especially in women.
Lower blue light emitted from technology devices
Many of us download apps that dim the light emitted from our devices. Yet, we tend to increase the brightness regardless because we can’t see as clearly. This is useless. It’s true that the light emitted from devices can ruin your sleep, so instead of trying to dim it, just power off instead.
Track your sleep
We are in an age where we like to track everything, but is sleep something we should be tracking? Because we all vary in our sleep cycles, a sleep tracker may not be effective, as it assumes we all go through a 90-minute sleep cycle. Once again, as long as you feel refreshed, that is all the indication you need that you slept well.
You shouldn’t wake up during the night
A restful sleep is often categorized as one where you do not wake up during the night. In reality, our sleep cycle works to wake us up several times throughout the night. The average adult may wake up 10 times throughout the night, so don’t worry if you have a few moments of awakens.
Naps will ruin your nighttime sleep
Many of us fear napping, as it may disrupt our nighttime sleep. This may be correct if you nap at the wrong times. The ideal time to nap is between 2 PM and 4 PM for 10 to 20 minutes. This is enough to boost your energy while not impacting your nightly sleep. For some, power naps may actually improve nighttime sleeping.
Now that you have greater awareness of how these common myths are impacting your sleep, you can move forward to forget these myths and get back to enjoying a good night’s sleep.
Related: Essential oils for sleep: 13 ways to get the best sleep ever