But with all the recent focus on sleep research, we now know that many of the sleep myths, as I like to call them, may not be set in stone. Also there has been research about how our thoughts, about any topic, can affect how we feel emotionally during the day, and even physically how we act. Sometimes our thoughts turn into reality right before our very eyes.

Myth #1:

I need eight hours of sleep each night to function in the day.

So what is the fear behind the myth? If I don’t get 8 hours I will not function to the top of my ability.

This is one of the most popular Sleep Myths I have encountered as a sleep expert.  And it is no wonder, society has told us this over and over again. But this was always meant to be a general guideline, and recent research shows that it may no longer be accurate for everyone.

In Fact very few people need exactly 8 hours of sleep, in a recent poll it was discovered that the average American may need closer to 7-7.5 hours of sleep per night, so you may not be nearly as bad off as you once thought. Also think about it. If you have 6.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep isn’t that better than 8 hours of broken sleep?

Remember, not everyone is the same size so not everyone has the same  sleep need to awaken feeling refreshed and ready to meet the day.

So what is the fear behind the myth? If I don’t get 8 hours I will not function to the top of my ability.

But is this really true? Think about it are there days where you get less sleep and you function well? Are there days that you sleep 8 hours and still are not at the top of your game? Of course there are. So let’s try to put it in perspective. Once you know what your bedtime should be you can try to achieve the goal for that bedtime, 4 out of 7 nights per week, and see how that goes for you. 

Since most wake up time is socially determined ( you need to get up at a certain time to go to work at a certain time) I ask people to count backwards from their wake up time five, 90 minute segments ( or 7.5 hours) 90 minutes is the length of time it takes for someone on average to get through a sleep cycle, and the average person gets through 4-5 cycles. So if you wake at 6:30 then your bedtime is 11.

Myth #2

A night cap (alcohol) helps me sleep.

Did you know that half of a hangover is dehydration, and the other half is sleep deprivation?

There is some significant truth to this statement. Alcohol, in any form can make you feel relaxed, and even a little sleepy. But did you know that while it may make you feel tired, alcohol will keep you out of the deep stages of sleep? And in fact without those deep stages not only will you wake up feeling un-refreshed, but you may disturb your sleep, waking up at night to go to the bathroom! Did you know that half of a hangover is dehydration, and the other half is sleep deprivation? So while this may have been something that you have done for many years, in fact it is not helping your sleep.

Myth #3

What I do during the day does not affect my sleep at night.

This is a common misconception that I hear all the time. The biggest issue here is that something can affect your sleep, long after you may have forgotten about it. For example, caffeine. It can stay in your system up to 16 hours. Which means that half of it is still with you eight hours later. If you have a cup of coffee at 6 p.m. it could affect you until 2 a.m. And alcohol is another one that has longer time effects. It takes the body about a hour to metabolize an alcoholic drink, so basically you should consider 1 hour for every alcoholic beverage that you need to stay awake. If you have had three beers you need to be awake for the next three hours!

Myth #4

There are foods that work like a sleeping pill and put me to sleep.

What about warm milk? Yes, it too has tryptophan, but you would need to drink about a gallon and a half for it to have an effect.

Certain foods are certainly more sleep friendly than others. For example any food or drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol, may have effects on your sleep that you do not want. However, there are some more popular myths out these that we should probably dispel. First turkey. While turkey does contain the amino-acid tryptophan, you would need to eat about a 46 lbs. turkey to get enough Tryptophan to make you sleepy. And tryptophan does not work well in the presence of Protein, so even if you did eat a lot of turkey it really would not work. What about warm milk? Yes, it too has tryptophan, but you would need to drink about a gallon and a half for it to have an effect. So why does it seem to work? If you have fond memories of your parent giving you something before bed, and sleeping well, it is the association that is in your subconscious that is helping to relax you and eventually help get you to sleep. So a glass of warm milk will never hurt. Actual foods that can help include tart cherry juice-it has one of the highest melatonin contents, bananas which are great sources of magnesium and potassium, and a small snack of carbohydrates and protein, so crackers and cheese, or an apple and peanut better. All have shown promise as sleep friendly foods.

Myth #5

My poor sleep is caused by a chemical imbalance in my brain.

This is a fairly common perception that your sleep problems are due to a chemical imbalance in your brain that is basically out of your control. This usually stems for someone not understanding their sleep problems. When we say things like this, and we feel a total lack of control, it may make us feel helpless or hopeless. This can cause an increase in our anxiety, which does not help our sleep. But the real question here, is this statement true? Do you have a chemical imbalance? Let’s look at the evidence. Have you always had sleep problems? If not then a chemical imbalance is not likely to have suddenly appeared, but more something that is long term. Can you think of anything that may affect the sleep you do get? Some of my patients tell me that if they have an emotional argument or something big is on their mind it prevents them from sleeping. I agree, that happens to everyone, but that is not a chemical imbalance, that is an external factor, that can be handled. Another example might be if you fall asleep unexpectedly on the couch, you know that this might affect your ability to sleep that night. Again a preventable event, that have nothing to do with your brain chemicals. So while there may be something in your head causing this problem, it is highly unlikely that this is the total answer, and that you are completely out of control.