Facts

Older People Need Less Sleep

In truth, older people need just as much as sleep as younger adults. They may have trouble getting it because they wake up more frequently during the night, total sleep need does not decrease much with age.

Alcohol Does Not Help You In Your Sleep

Alcohol is not an effective sleep aid. Its sedative effect may make you fall asleep faster, but it has a harmful effect on sleep quality that far outweighs this benefit. When alcohol is in your body, you get less of the deep sleep you need to wake up feeling refreshed, you’re more likely to wake up during the night, and you’re more likely to snore and experience other nocturnal breathing problems.

Snoring Is Harmless

Snoring may be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing that prevent air from flowing into or out of a sleeping person’s airways. Sleep apnea increases a person’s risk of heart disease and causes severe daytime sleepiness. Snorers who temporarily stop breathing during the night or experience severe daytime sleepiness should see a doctor.

You Cannot Remember Your Dreams

Some people remember them and some don’t. Not being able to recall your dreams is perfectly normal and has no negative health effects. Whether or not you remember your dreams is determined by when you wake up in relation to having those dreams. If you wake up during or just after a dream, you’re likely to remember it; otherwise, you won’t. It has no bearing on sleep quality. If you need to remember your dreams, just have a pen and paper beside you at night.

Five or Six Hours of Sleep Is Enough For Me

A minority of people are short sleepers who only need five or six hours of sleep per night. The majority of people need seven to nine hours a night, so the chances are small that any particular individual is truly a short sleeper. If you need eight hours a night but only get six, you can usually carry on for a day or two. After a few days, you’ll start to show signs of sleep deprivation, such as daytime drowsiness, irritability, and decreased productivity.

You Can Train Your Body To Get Less Sleep

There is no way to train the body to get less sleep. People who get only four or five hours of sleep for several weeks continue to get sleepier and their performance becomes more impaired the longer the study goes on. To meet a job deadline or study for a final exam you may be able to function on less sleep. Ultimately you will feel only more tired, work less efficiently, and get less done.

Insomniacs did Not Sleep at All

People with insomnia often say that they didn’t sleep at all last night. Not true. Even in severe cases, people with insomnia typically get a few hours of sleep per night. We all tend to be poor judges of how long it takes us to fall asleep and how long we’ve slept. Everyone has had the experience of intending to fall asleep for a few minutes and waking up several hours later, unaware of how much time has passed. This is because we don’t experience the passing of time while asleep.

Facts About Sleep And Myths Part 2