Sleep, Zzzzzs, slumber….when we are little we resist it, when we are older we wish we had more of it! We all need it but how often do we think about why it is so important for our health and emotional wellbeing?
World Sleep Day is March 19, 2021. The slogan for this year’s World Sleep Day is “Regular Sleep, Healthy Future.” Did you know we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping? According to research by Robbins et al (2019), debunking sleep myths can help improve sleep health.
- One popular myth is that people who can “fall asleep anywhere, anytime” have healthy sleep habits. The reality is that “skill” can mean you are chronically sleep deprived or have sleep apnea.
- Another myth is that the brain is at rest during sleep. In reality, EEGs show that brain waves are larger during sleep.
- Are you a fan of hitting the snooze button to catch a few more minutes of sleep? Fragmented sleep has been tied to lower mental flexibility (Robbins et al, 2019).
Take a moment to reflect on your own sleep habits, hygiene, and needs. Could you use some help to get better quality sleep? Here are some tips for getting a healthier night’s sleep:
References
Robbins, R., Grandner, M. A., Buxton, O. M., Hale, L., Buysse, D. J., Knutson, K. L., Patel, S. R., Troxel, W. M., Youngstedt, S. D., Czeisler, C. A., & Jean-Louis, G. (2019). Sleep myths: An expert-led study to identify false beliefs about sleep that impinge upon population sleep health practices. Sleep Health, 5(4), 409-417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2019.02.002
