Sleep Myths

The need for sleep is a condition all humans share, crave, and need to function in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Sleep gives the body the rest it deserves to regenerate naturally. To dispel the common myths that surround sleep, one must determine fact from fiction when it comes to slumber.

The lack of sleep can lead to obesity. FACT
According to the National Sleep Foundation, the relationship between health and the quality of sleep determines risk factors for being obese. An example, obesity can cause obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). During weight gain, the flesh inside the airflow will expand and cause an obstruction to normal air supply to the lungs. The same is true for sleep deprived people, the risk for obesity increases based on the Body Mass Index (BMI). As a result, the lack of sleep lowers leptin levels (suppresses appetite) and raises gherkin levels (stimulates appetite), and the consequence is overeating and weight gain. Sleep and eat mindfully.

Sleep texts affects adolescents. FACT
Occurring mostly with teens, sleep-texting is the act when a person responds to a text message with no memory of the action in the morning. Research shows that four out of five teens sleep with an electronic device close by. As a trigger, the tone of a cell phone lightly awakens the person enough to respond but the message is not always comprehendible. A similar disorder, the “on call effect” occurs when people make and take calls while asleep and do not recall the conversations the next day. Turn off electronic devices at night.

You can’t get too much sleep. FICTION
Generally speaking, experts recommend adults sleep 7 to 9 hours nightly. Hitting the snooze button or sleeping in on a Saturday morning is not considered oversleeping. However, if a person sleeps more than 9 hours per night and awakes still tired, the problem may be too much sleep. Similar to not getting enough sleep, too much sleep can initiate negative health issues and create higher risk for obesity, depression, heart disease, and stroke. Establish a reasonable sleep schedule.

Sleep is important and necessary for a balanced and healthy lifestyle. As sleep specialists, the Somnology mission is to provide products and services to monitor sleep patterns, behaviors, and habits that may affect your health and wellbeing. As a matter of fact, you can monitor your sleep at home with the Plex™ Sleep Scanner, a wearable sleep tracker that tracks breathing patterns, pulse, and oxygen levels while you sleep.