Someone thinks that you need to sleep as much as possible, others do not see anything wrong with snoring. Let’s talk about these and other myths.
A person spends about a third of the day in a dream, but knows very little about what happens to his body during sleep.
Someone thinks that you need to sleep as much as possible, others do not see anything wrong with snoring, and still others believe that siesta is justified only for children and residents of the Mediterranean. Let’s talk about these and other myths.
The first myth. Sleep is just rest
Sleep is not just a rest period. While you sleep, the body goes through “planned work”: the creation of long-term memory from the impressions of the past day, the restoration of cells in body tissues, the production of vital hormones. On all it takes from seven to nine hours every day.
The second myth. “Just think, went to bed an hour later!”
If you sleep less than you need to, in the first place, the cognitive functions of the brain suffer, as well as the reaction speed and physical capabilities.
If sleep deprivation becomes chronic , the secretion of hormones that control appetite is disrupted , and the risk of developing certain chronic diseases increases.
The third myth. A person is able to arbitrarily regulate his regime
The beneficial effects of alcohol on falling asleep is another common myth. Read about why alcohol and sleep don’t work together.
The periods of sleep and wakefulness are controlled by the body’s biological clock. When you travel across multiple time zones or work at night, the tuning of this internal mechanism is disrupted. This leads to difficulties in falling asleep and disrupts the natural functioning of all body systems.
It takes at least a day to adjust to a regime shift of just a couple of hours . This means that if you start working the night shift, it will take you six to 12 days for your body to start working smoothly.
The fourth myth. Older people need less sleep
Older people need just as much sleep as everyone else: seven to nine hours a day.
By Unfortunately, many people believe this myth is the absolute truth. This prevents people of retirement age from seeking help for sleep disturbances caused by illness or drug side effects.
The fifth myth. Tired – sleep longer
It is generally accepted that fatigue during the day is treated by a longer sleep at night. If a person sleeps seven to nine hours every night, but feels overwhelmed, the cause of increased fatigue should be looked for in another area.
Try to increase your physical activity during the day and just leave the office in the daylight: the lack of natural light increases fatigue.
The sixth myth. You can sleep over the weekend
Many people recklessly sleep on Saturday nights in the hope of making up for a week’s lack of sleep. Such attempts to make up for lost time only confuse the body and lead to disruptions in the schedule of sleep and wakefulness.
As a result, it is difficult for a person to fall asleep on Sunday evening and get up early on Monday morning, since the regime has already been violated.
The seventh myth. Only children sleep during the day
Siesta (an hour’s afternoon nap ) is a great time to relax if you don’t get enough sleep at night. After a short daytime sleep, performance increases. You can also train yourself to fall asleep faster by learning to nap during the day.
Caution: If you sleep more than an hour during the day or go to nap after three in the afternoon, you may have problems falling asleep in the evening.
The eighth myth. Snoring is normal
From snoring suffers not only the one who does not can fall asleep there, but the one who himself snore. Snoring is a sign of a serious sleep disorder, such as apnea – the stopping of breathing during sleep for more than ten seconds.
Snoring people often complain of lack of sleep and feeling tired in the morning. If your night is too noisy, there is a reason to normalize your weight and consult a doctor.
The ninth myth. If the child does not sleep enough, it can be seen from him
How much sleep do you need? How to organize yourself a healthy sleep? Marina Khamurzova, PhD student at the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Russian State Medical University, neurologist at City Clinical Hospital No. 12, talks about the rules of good sleep .
Children behave very differently from adults. An overworked and sleepy child will not fall asleep on the go. His body will begin to release adrenaline, and the baby will seem not only energetic, but also hyperactive.
Children who are chronically sleep deprived suffer from behavioral problems and poor concentration. It is not worth judging whether a child is sleeping enough by his daytime behavior. Monitor how much he sleeps at night and stick to the basic rules of healthy sleep.
The tenth myth. Insomnia caused by worries
Anxiety and stress can indeed create temporary sleep problems , but insomnia is most often caused by other factors.
Sleep disturbances are often observed in patients with bronchial asthma, arthritis and other diseases, whose symptoms worsen at night.
The most important
It is impossible to get enough sleep for the future, to arbitrarily change the sleep and wakefulness regimes and to manage a couple of hours of sleep at an older age. To get enough sleep, a person needs a developed regimen and a sleep duration of about seven to nine hours.