BY
ASHLEY WELCH
APRIL
16, 2019 / 4:20 PM / CBS NEWS
While hitting the
snooze button in the morning or having a nightcap before bed may seem like ways
to get more sleep, these myths may actually be harming your health, according
to new research.
A good night's sleep is essential for
overall health, yet sleep issues plague millions of Americans. A number of
factors affect sleep, including genetics and various medical issues, but
researchers from NYU School of Medicine were curious about the role common
myths and misconceptions about sleep might play.
"Sleep is a
vital part of life that affects our productivity, mood, and general health and
well-being," the study's lead investigator, Rebecca Robbins, PhD, a
postdoctoral research fellow at NYU Langone Health, said in a statement.
"Dispelling myths about sleep promotes healthier sleep habits which, in
turn, promote overall better health."
The researchers
reviewed more than 8,000 websites to identify the 20 most common assumptions
about sleep that were based on questionable
scientific evidence. With a team of sleep medicine experts, they ranked them on
both their degree of truth or falsehood, and on the harm that the myth could
cause to health.
Here are some of the
most significant sleep myths they found.
Myth 1: Many adults
need only 5 or fewer hours of sleep
Researchers ranked
this myth as "a great deal" false and as having "a great
deal" of public health significance.
Adults aged 18 to 60
should sleep at least 7 hours per night for optimal health and wellness,
according to sleep specialists and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Only a very tiny percentage of the population truly functions as
well on less sleep.
Long-term, getting
insufficient sleep has been linked to a number of chronic diseases,
including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, as well as mood
disorders like depression and anxiety. Lack of sleep can also
affect productivity and concentration and lead to preventable accidents.
Myth 2: Snoring is
mostly harmless
While snoring from
time to time can be normal, chronic snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep
disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. This can lead to
daytime fatigue, and the repeated awakenings make regular, quality sleep
impossible.
If left untreated,
sleep apnea can also increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart
problems, type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol levels,
liver problems, and complications with medications and surgery.
Therefore, loud or
bothersome snoring may be an indication that you should consult with a doctor,
the researchers say.
Myth 3: Alcohol
before bed will help you sleep
While folklore
suggests that a nightcap brings on sweet slumber, alcohol before bed can
actually have a negative impact on sleep.
"The literature
on sleep and alcohol shows alcohol consumed close to bedtime reduces sleep
latency but subsequently causes sleep disturbances in the second half of the
night," the researchers write. In other words, drinking alcohol may help
you fall asleep quicker, but it delays the onset of deep REM sleep.
Alcohol consumption
has also been shown to worsen the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Myth 4: It doesn't
matter what time you sleep
While the researchers
acknowledge that getting sleep during the day is better than no sleep at all,
there's significant evidence that the timing of sleep is related to health.
Studies of night shift workers, whose circadian rhythms
are disrupted, show they report less sleep and lower sleep quality than daytime
workers. Night shift workers are also at a higher risk for long-term health
issues like depression, diabetes, and cancer.
Myth 5: Your brain
and body can learn to function just as well with less sleep
While many people may
believe that they can learn to adapt to getting less sleep, the researchers
found this to be false. Instead, studies show that even after weeks of
tracking, reduced sleep leads to decreased daytime performance.
The researchers again
point to night shift workers, who typically sleep less than those with daytime
schedules and face a higher risk of death from any cause.
Myth 6: Hitting the
snooze is better than getting up when the alarm first goes off
While there is little
research looking at the effects of hitting the snooze button, disturbing sleep
is "not optimal," the researchers say, and can have a negative impact
on mood and cognition.
"Evidence
suggests it may be best to set the alarm when one needs to get up instead of
setting multiple alarms that might interrupt sleep," they write.
Myth 7: If you have
difficulty falling asleep, it's best to stay in bed and keep trying
While it may seem
counterintuitive, the sleep experts say this common practice is based on false
assumptions. Instead, they recommend people having difficulty falling asleep
should get out of bed and return only when they are tired.
However, if your goal
is to get to sleep, it is important to avoid blue light from electronics, which disrupts
circadian rhythms, so watching television and scrolling through social media
are off limits. Try reading a book, listening to music or a podcast, or
meditating.
Changing the
perceptions of sleep myths
The researchers say
their study sheds light on common misconceptions about sleep that, if cleared
up, could improve overall health.
"Sleep is
important to health, and there needs to be greater effort to inform the public
regarding this important public health issue," said study senior
investigator Girardin Jean Louis, PhD, a professor in the departments of
Population Health and Psychiatry at NYU Langone. "For example, by
discussing sleep habits with their patients, doctors can help prevent sleep
myths from increasing risks for heart disease, obesity, and diabetes."
He notes the study
also provides a framework for public health campaigns.
"Beliefs are
associated with behaviors," the authors conclude. "Thus, altering
health-related beliefs that are untrue is one promising strategy for promoting
population health."
First
published on April 16, 2019 / 4:20 PM
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CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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