The ObservatoryThe myths that keep you awake
Five common beliefs about sleep that don't quite hold up
Sleep advice is full of rules that sound obvious and still don't hold up on closer inspection. Some of them are harmless misunderstandings. Others actually make sleep worse, because they get you to fight your body instead of working with it. Here are some of the most common ones, and what is actually known about them.
"Everyone needs eight hours." Eight hours is a benchmark, not a law. Most sleep organizations give a range for adults, often seven to nine hours, precisely because needs vary between individuals. Someone who feels well, is alert, and functions on seven hours does not have a sleep problem just because the number is lower than eight. The pursuit of an exact figure often creates more worry than it solves.
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Why does it work?
Sleep organizations' recommendation of roughly seven to nine hours for adults is a range rather than an exact norm, with recognized individual variation. That alcohol disturbs sleep quality and REM sleep later in the night, that lost sleep can only be partly made up, and that stimulus control — not lying awake in bed — helps with sleep difficulties (Bootzin), are established findings in sleep research and the foundation of CBT for insomnia.
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