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Sleep myths 'damaging your health'
Alcohol before bed boosts your sleep
It may help you fall asleep, but it dramatically reduces the quality of your rest that night. It particularly disrupts your REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep, which is important for memory and learning.
You will have slept and may have nodded off more easily, but some of the benefits of sleep are lost.
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Five hours of sleep
Sleeping five hours or less consistently increases your risk greatly for adverse health consequences. These included cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes, and shorter life expectancy.
Everyone should aim for a consistent seven to eight hours of sleep a night.
Alcohol before bed boosts your sleep
It may help you fall asleep, but it dramatically reduces the quality of your rest that night. It particularly disrupts your REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep, which is important for memory and learning.
You will have slept and may have nodded off more easily, but some of the benefits of sleep are lost.
Watching TV in bed
Often if we're watching the television it's the nightly news… it's something that's going to cause you insomnia or stress right before bed when we're trying to power down and relax.
The other issue with TV - along with smartphones and tablets - is they produce blue light, which can delay the body's production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
Struggling to sleep
It takes the healthy sleeper about 15 minutes to fall asleep, but much longer than that… make sure to get out of bed, change the environment and do something that's mindless.
Hitting the snooze button
The research team says that when the alarm goes off, we should just get up.
Realize you will be a bit groggy - but resist the temptation to snooze. Your body will go back to sleep, but it will be very light, low-quality sleep.
Snoring is always harmless
Snoring can be harmless, but it can also be a sign of the disorder sleep apnoea.
This causes the walls of the throat to relax and narrow during sleep, and can briefly stop people breathing. People with the condition are more likely to develop high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat and have a heart attack or a stroke. One of the warning signs is loud snoring.
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5 hours of sleep is enough
Habitual sleep deprivation is associated with diverse and far-reaching health effects and none of them is good.
Between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night are recommended. You can get used to l...
Watching Television before bed
Cellphones, tablets, and all kinds of personal electronics are not a good idea when you’re getting ready for bed.
Researchers have increasingly focused on “blue light” emitted by screens and its effect on sleep and negative sleep-related health outcomes.
It doesn’t matter when you sleep
Our bodies tend to follow a natural rhythm of wakefulness and sleep that is attuned to sunrise and sunset for a reason.
While some missed sleep here and there isn’t necessarily a big deal, shifting your sleep schedule long term isn’t healthy.
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Snoring isn’t harmful
Although snoring may be harmless for most people, it can be a symptom of a life-threatening sleep disorder called sleep apnea, especially if it is accompanied by severe daytime sleepiness.
You can "cheat" on sleep
Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health, and safety.
The resulting sleep deprivation has been linked to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure, negative mood and behavior, decreased productivity, and safety issues in the home, on the job, and on the road.
Turning up the radio
... opening the window, or turning on the air conditioner are effective ways to stay awake when driving.
These "aids" are ineffective and can be dangerous to the person who is driving while feeling drowsy or sleepy.
It's best to pull off the road in a safe rest area and take a nap for 15-45 minutes. Caffeinated beverages can help overcome drowsiness for a short period of time.
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Stressing about sleep
Before a stressful work event, we tend to worry about what will happen if we don’t sleep well:
- We worry that we’ll be physically tired.
- We worry that ...
Sleep mistakes
... we make when it comes to sleeping well before a big day:
- We try too hard to sleep and we end up making it harder to fall asleep.
- We overestimate the negative consequences of poor sleep.
Sleep restriction
It's a technique for improving the quality of your sleep by using the power of Sleep Drive (the body’s natural need for sleep). Sleep Drive is built during the day: the longer you’re awake the stronger your need for sleep.
Sleep Restriction temporarily restricts the quantity of your sleep so that you’re awake longer and therefore build up more Sleep Drive.
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