Have you ever heard the idea that drinking a warm glass of milk before bed will help you fall asleep, or that being bored can physically make you sleepy? Well, these are myths.
There is an endless amount of information surrounding the topic of sleep, which can make it difficult to decipher what’s true versus what’s just a myth. Many of us go through a majority of our lives believing in and following ideas that aren’t actually backed by any real scientific evidence.
With something as crucial to our health as sleep, it’s extremely important to know what practices and ideas are true, and how those false ideas may be affecting you. There are a plethora of myths surrounding sleep and sleeping practices. So, if you’re worried that you may be practicing some of these myths, not to fret: we have compiled for you the 5 key sleeping myths that you may not have known about.
1. Your Brain Shuts Down When You Sleep
Many believe that once you fall asleep, your brain goes entirely inactive. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Your brain is actually incredibly active while your body is asleep, perhaps even more so than when you’re awake. When sleeping, your brain works to sort and process all the information you have taken in for the given day. On top of this, your brain will then take certain information to store into your long-term memory. Due to this, proper sleep is extremely vital for memory and overall brain functionality.
2. You Don’t Need a Quality Mattress to Get Quality Sleep
It’s common for people to think that the quality of your mattress does little to the quality of your sleep, but they aren’t aware of all of the working components that go into achieving a proper night’s sleep. Factors such as body temperature and proper muscle and joint support are crucial to a good night’s rest. If your body is overheating at night, you might have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. If your mattress does not properly cater to your body, your joints and muscles will suffer. Luckily,
Lull has crafted a mattress with these concerns in mind.
Lull Mattresses have a 3 layer memory foam structure; the cooling top layer allows for airflow and the two bottom layers allow your body to be properly supported. To get the right kind of sleep, you need the right equipment.
3. Television Before Bed Helps You Fall Asleep
Much too often do people wind down for the night by watching television or using their laptop or smartphone in bed. Many find it a way to relax and get sleepy. Although we love binge-watching TV shows as much as the next person, doing so actually keeps your brain active, making it far more difficult to fall asleep. The blue light screens before bed keep you alert and can make it difficult to get an adequate night's rest.
4. You Can Catch Up On Sleep
We’ve all done it before: working ourselves to the bone during the week, depriving ourselves of sleep, and attempting to play catch-up when the weekend rolls around. Although a sleeping marathon sounds great to us, if you have heavily deprived yourself of sleep then a form of sleep debt begins to accumulate that cannot be made up for. In fact, attempting to sleep 12 hours over the weekend when only getting a measly 4-5 throughout that week has proven to have negative effects, like making it harder to focus.
5. Hitting Snooze is Totally Okay
Everyone hates the sound of their alarm, but when you hit snooze you’re not doing yourself any favors. When your body goes back to sleep after hitting the snooze button, the sleep you get is very light and very low-quality. Once your alarm first goes off, you are coming to the end of your REM cycle, and by going back to sleep you start a new sleep cycle, only to be woken up a few moments later. If you hit snooze, you’ll end up feeling much more groggy and tired later on.
We have all probably been guilty of believing some of these myths. However, with these key myths now debunked, you’ll be sure to be more wise about your sleeping habits.
