Sleep is a mystery part of human life where stories and wrong ideas often cover true science facts.
For a long time, I was trapped by false ideas that made me believe how to sleep and this affected my health.
I was having an college assignment about the “Impacts of Screen time on the sleep”. And for that I went to a neuroscientist in who is professor in my college.
In general discussion with Him, I found our several Myth about the sleep.
And I’m telling you about the three sleep lies I gave up. This change has completely changed my life for the better. And maybe it will help You too.
Myth #1: Put off sleep in the name of creative or social productivity
For a long time, I believed that giving up sleep for work made me more productive. I put on my night-time efforts like a sign of pride, sure that sleep is for the weak people. This idea was very strong in me, powered by a society that praises being busy and does not value rest.
But, the When I talked with him, He gave me strong reason against this wrong idea. He mentioned research that shows constant lack of sleep hurts brain activities like memory, decision-making and creativity.
In a 2014 study in ‘BMC Neuroscience’, it was discovered that lack of sleep reduces the activity in your brain’s prefrontal cortex. This is an important area for thinking tasks higher than easy ones.
This discovery was a wake-up call. I learned that by sleeping less, I wasn’t making myself more productive; instead, I was hurting it. And there are several studies and research which proofs that, Lack of sleep will not make you productive instead it will hurt you.
Myth #2: More Sleep Equals Laziness
The second false idea I believed was thinking that sleeping for the suggested 7–9 hours made me lazy. This idea is very common in a society that often thinks Sleeping 7–9 hours means not wanting to do hard work. Specially for my parents and teachers.
I know they wanted me to be successful, That’s why they keep saying me. Don’t sleep. Do you work. Sleep is for Losers.
But, the truth is very different.
Actually He told me about how sleep is very important for the mind to store memories and fix itself.
A quote by Matthew Walker, a renowned sleep expert, stuck with me: “Sleep is the single most effective thing you can do to reset your brain and body health each and every day”
When we sleep, our brains go through different steps.
Each step is important for helping to store memories well, dealing with emotions and cleaning out bad waste products that build up during the day.
By understanding that good sleep is important, I started living a life where rest isn’t seen as lazy but as crucial for health and work.
Myth #3: Naps Can Replace Lost Nighttime Sleep
Since I often couldn’t sleep at night, I needed daytime naps a lot. It felt like a good plan — if I lost sleep at night, I could catch up during the day. This, however, is a misconception.
He said that small naps are good for being awake and feeling better, but they can’t take place of the deep sleep. which is very important part which mostly happens at night.
At night, when we sleep, our body does important things like letting out growth hormones and controlling hunger ones.
A study in the ‘Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism’ showed that sleeping at night is good for health and it can’t be matched by taking a nap during the day.
Knowing this changed the way I think about sleep. I started making sleep at night a priority, and it made a big difference. I had more energy, my feelings were steady and I felt healthier overall.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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Photo credit: Shane on Unsplash