Sleep Myths

1. Myth - We should sleep at least 8 hours every night.
   Reality -  We should sleep at least 8 hours every night. Actually, our personal sleep needs can vary.

2. Myth - It is ideal to always sleep through the night.
   Reality - Occasionally awakenings are, in fact normal.

3. Myth - I can and must make myself sleep.
   Reality - We simply can’t control the process of falling asleep.

4. Myth - I should just stay in bed and rest if I can’t sleep.
   Reality - It is best to get out of bed at these times and do something that doesn’t require much thinking or physical exertion.

5. Myth - I’ll have a terrible day if I don’t sleep well.
   Reality - Not necessarily, we are very resilient and can adapt to an occasional night of interrupted sleep. Hopefully, this is an infrequent event.

6. Myth - Good sleepers fall asleep quickly.
   Reality - It’s normal to take up to 20 minutes to fall asleep.

7. Myth - Good sleepers don’t dream.
   Reality - Dreaming nightly is an essential part of good sleep. You might not always remember your dreams though.

8. Myth - It is best to get up and be productive.
   Reality - Being productive at night typically disrupts sleep.

9. Myth - It is normal to sleep less as we age.
   Reality - It is common but not necessarily inevitable or healthy or normal.

10. Myth - It is comforting to check the time when sleepless.
    Reality - Clock watching makes it harder to get back to sleep.

11. Myth - Watching a movie or playing screen games will help me get to sleep.
    Reality - The blue light of all screens disrupts our natural sleep hormone, melatonin.

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