Do you drag through your days feeling perpetually tired and wondering what gives? Dr. Robert Oexman, director of the Sleep to Live Institute, says we’re often to blame for our own sleep deprivation by buying into the following myths.
Do you drag through your days feeling perpetually tired and wondering what gives? Dr. Robert Oexman, director of the Sleep to Live Institute, says we’re often to blame for our own sleep deprivation by buying into the following myths.
Sleep Awareness Week
We’re at the start of Sleep Awareness Week (March 3-10) and want you to “wake up” to the fact that you need more sleep.
Sleep Myth #1: Hit the snooze button.
Do you press the snooze button time and time again in the morning thinking it will give you a few extra minutes of rest so you feel more energized?
Truth: According to Dr. Oexman, if you’re snoozing, you’re losing. “Sleep does not come in 9-minute intervals so be realistic about the time you need to get up,” he explains. “I like hitting the snooze alarm one time and doing light stretching with the light on. This gives you a gentle way to wake up.”
Sleep Myth #2: As I get older, my body requires less sleep.
Do you think just because you aren’t in a growth and development stage as you were when you were in your teens, you can sleep less with no ill effects?
Truth: Research has shown that as we get older we still need the same amount of sleep as when we were younger. “In fact, older adults need to spend more time in bed to get the same amount of sleep – thanks to the aches, pains and medications that wake them up during the night,” says Dr. Oexman. If you’re a new parent with a newborn or toddler who keeps you up, your sleep is especially important for you to stay healthy and be able to keep up with the rigors of parenting.
Sleep Myth #3: If you can’t sleep, get up.
Do you believe that if you wake up in the middle of the night, you should read a book or watch TV until you become sleepy again?
Truth: Dr. Oexman warns that the bright light from your TV or lamp will only wake you up further. “If you get up at night, go into another room and keep the room dark. You can meditate or do light stretching until you feel ready for sleep again.” Avoid turning on technology as a way to get sleepy; it can actually stimulate your brain and prevent you from getting back to sleep.
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