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Sleep Myths 'Damaging Your Health':
Widely held myths about sleep are damaging our health and our mood, as well as shortening our lives, say researchers.
A team at New York University trawled the internet to find the most common claims about a good night's kip[*].
Then, in a study published in the journal Sleep Health, they matched the claims to the best scientific evidence.
They hope that dispelling sleep myths will improve people's physical and mental health and well-being.
So, how many are you guilty of?
Myth 1 - You can cope on less than five hours' sleep
[...]Myth 2 - Alcohol before bed boosts your sleep
[...]Myth 3 - Watching TV in bed helps you relax
[...]Myth 4 - If you're struggling to sleep, stay in bed
[...]Myth 5 - Hitting the snooze button
[...]Myth 6 - Snoring is always harmless
Another myth is that one should have 7-8 hours of continuous sleep. There is ample evidence that this is a relatively recent phenomenon. Consider embracing a bi-phasic or two-sleep schedule, instead.
I was at first concerned when I found myself waking after 3, 4 or even 5 hours sleep -- I became worried that I might be trending into insomnia. Instead, knowing this is a "thing", I just accept it, now. I get up for an hour or so. Use the bathroom. Maybe do some light reading (SoylentNews FTW!). And, after an hour or so, am ready to go back to bed for the rest of my night's sleep. Naps can be helpful, too.
How well do you sleep?
*kip: chiefly British : sleep, nap
(Score: 3, Insightful) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Thursday April 18 2019, @02:13PM (1 child)
I sleep very well, since I had my sleep study done and was diagnosed with apnea. I was experiencing an apnea every 90 seconds when finally diagnosed and the warning signs were present for years. I was offered surgery or CPAP and chose CPAP. I know exactly how much sleep I need per night to function well the next day, and have been developing biphasic sleeping.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by jjr on Thursday April 18 2019, @02:42PM
Same here. Even if I slept for 6 or 7 hours in a row, I felt like a zombie next morning. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and was offered to use a CPAP and my quality of life got a huge improvement. I lost also a lot of weight (around 17 kg) in two years, just by ditching food with lots of sugars and saturated fats, reducing in turn the amount of apneas. I'm still using the CPAP now, even I have a low number of apneas now. My sleep comes in two rounds usually, I get awake around one hour before the alarm sets off, I remove the CPAP and continue sleeping, but times may vary (sometimes I get awake at 2am and sometimes just 15 minutes before the alarm starts ringing). I've been using it for 4 years and get periodic reviews, the doctor says that if I feel good with the CPAP, just continue using it even if it's not as necessary as before.