In this blog post, we aim to discern between fact and fiction in relation to sleep guidelines. With so much information swirling at our fingertips, it sometimes becomes hard to tell what’s true or false. Read on for an assessment of common myths about sleep, according to Dr. Daniel Buysse, from the University of Pittsburgh’s Sleep Institute:
– We can make up for lost sleep:
While humans can, “catch up,” for an hour lost here or there, it’s not possible to make up a whole night of lost sleep
– If you don’t sleep enough, it increase chances that you’ll be overweight:
In response to this, Dr. Buysse said, “There’s actually quite a bit of evidence linking very short sleep to obesity and to the tendency to gain weight overtime.”
– Everyone needs 8 hours of sleep:
The amount of sleep necessary for each person varies. However, generally, adults need about 6.5 – 8 hours of sleep per night.
– Naps are wasteful:
Naps indicate that we need more sleep. Recently, they were shown to increase creativity! Furthermore, some people find that naps ranging from 10 – 30 minutes are helpful.
– A nightcap can help you get to sleep:
Having a drink to get to sleep each night can create a problem, which, “Is that it doesn’t last that long and people tend to wake up and have insomnia in the middle of the night.”
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