Despite the fact that each and every single one of us (hopefully) do it every night, sleep is a topic that has continued to be shrouded in mystery for some. Even people who tend to consistently get a good night’s sleep may find themselves struggling to decipher between fact and fiction when it comes to their sleep. While you do not have to be a sleep specialist yourself, knowing a little bit more about how your body functions never hurts.
Myth: You can get used to a lack of sleep.
While there is some substance to the claim that your level of sleepiness during the day may stabilize and seem less noticeable the longer you go with less sleep, your body is still not functioning to the best of its ability.
The long-term effects of sleep deprivation can range from mild to serious with impacts on metabolism, immunity, hormone production, the cardiovascular system, and your mental health. Other long-term effects can include a decrease in your work or school performance and general cognitive decline as well as an increased risk of dementia later in life.
Myth: 8 hours and you’re good.
It is generally advised to get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, so it seems perfectly reasonable to think that as long as you hit somewhere in that window a good night’s sleep is all but guaranteed. Sleep duration alone is not what ultimately counts for most, but rather the quality of the sleep. There are multiple factors that can cause sleep disruptions such as age, health, stress, light, and overall lifestyle. Whether you’re drinking caffeine too late in the day or if you have some pesky light creeping in past your curtains, these factors can interfere with the quality of your sleep and interfere with what would otherwise be a good night’s sleep.
Myth: More sleep is always better
When a lack of sleep can become such a detriment to your body and daily performance, it is an easy assumption to think that the more sleep you get the better off you will be on a nightly basis. However, the evidence surrounding this claim leads to conflicting results. While there are certain populations that do need more sleep such as those recovering from illnesses, healing from an injury need more sleep, and children who are still growing, going beyond 8 hours of sleep per night yield varying results based on demographics.
For those that do not generally struggle with insomnia, there were actually some net positives such as more alertness than those who sleep for shorter durations of time as well as the observance of performance enhances. Conversely, those who do struggle with insomnia were found to fall victim to sleep fragmentation even more as a result of trying to stay in bed longer in an effort to sleep longer.
Myth: The time of day doesn’t matter
One myth that has been circulating as of late suggests that “sleep is sleep” and so long as you hit the benchmark of 8 hours of sleep you’re good to go. While hitting 8 hours is great, it is not the ultimate indication of a good night’s sleep. Sleeping at odd times of day, especially during daylight hours, can interfere with your body’s circadian rhythm.
Daylight can interfere with our melatonin production immensely, so those who work night shifts and irregular hours are especially susceptible to sleep disruptions. There is strong evidence that builds a case for sleeping in complete darkness as opposed to sleeping with any amount of light exposure, but this is not always feasible for those like the aforementioned night shift workers. Utilizing sleep aids such as blackout curtains and a weighted sleep mask can prove to be instrumental in getting the much-needed shut-eye even when the circumstances are not conducive to getting enough sleep.
Myth: You can make up for lost time
Many of us have accrued what is known as a “sleep debt” over time, which is the imbalance of the amount of sleep you need to get and the amount of sleep you do get on a day-to-day basis. It’s an easy thing to do, especially during a busy workweek, and many of us find ourselves losing out on an hour here and there and slip below the recommended amount of sleep per night. An hour here and an hour there may seem like small potatoes and easy enough to make up for by sleeping in a couple extra hours on Saturday morning, but that is not quite the case.
Sleep and your sleep debt act much like your other everyday habits and wellness routines. Say you’re a routine gym-goer and it becomes part of your everyday life to go to the gym and work out in some capacity. Over time, your muscles grow stronger and you gain a greater capacity for greater weights and increase your stamina. If you disregard going to the gym for an entire month, however, the backslide in progress is not something you can merely make up in a weekend of going back to the gym. Your sleep schedule is very similar, and the decline in cognitive functions such as focus and memory retention cannot be entirely reversed over the course of a weekend. Consistency is key in these scenarios, and keeping your sleep and wake times within an hour of each other every day can be a tremendous help in keeping your schedule more regular.
Key Takeaways
Even though sleep is something we are all familiar with, there is still an aura of mystery that surrounds it. While some of us may not be getting as much of it as we truly need, our bodies heavily rely on sleep to adequately recover from the day and to best prepare us for tomorrow. It can be incredibly easy to overlook sleep and get less than you need in hopes that you can “make up” for lost sleep later on, but this becoming a regular habit can wreak havoc on your own sleep schedule as well as leave lasting impacts on your overall health. We get it, life happens, and not every night is going to be the best night’s sleep ever. However, making the conscious decision to better your own sleep habits can do wonders, and the first step in doing so is to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of looking to the various sleep myths floating around for advice.
