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Does counting sheep for insomnia work? 6 myths about sleep

Daily Disinformation

By Kim CruzPublished 12 months ago 6 min read
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Want to sleep and can not sleep, very sleepy but do not want to sleep, sleep and always dream always wake up, snore like thunder when sleeping, wake up dizzy ...... Are you suffering from these sleep problems?

People spend about 1/3 of their lives in sleep, sleep health is one of the important signs of our overall health status, but many of the sleep misconceptions in daily life is often believed, today we will learn about the 6 myths about sleep and 8 ways to improve sleep, out of the sleep "sleep" situation.

Misconception 1: high pillow without worry

Truth: As the saying goes, "no worries about the pillow", but the pillow is too high or too low will have an impact on the cervical spine. In fact, the pillow is not used to "pillow", but "pillow neck", because when people sleep, the pillow will be placed under the neck, rather than under the head. The human cervical vertebrae in front of a convex arc, if the pillow is too high, then the head will be forced to form a "low" state, so that the neck curvature over extension over flexion, which will invariably give the neck to increase the burden.

Myth 2: snoring is equal to sleep well

Truth: Many people think that snoring is a good sleep, but in fact, snoring is not only the performance of high-quality sleep, serious snoring may also be obstructive sleep apnea hypoventilation syndrome. In severe cases, it may occur hundreds of times a night, lasting from 10 seconds to 2 minutes, causing repeated transient hypoxia in the brain and body, which can cause chronic damage to various organs and systems, such as hypoxemia, and induce hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, etc. Therefore, obstructive Sleep apnea hypoventilation syndrome is also known as the "invisible killer" in sleep.

Myth 3: Counting sheep can cure insomnia

The truth: one sheep, two sheep, three sheep ...... "when you can't sleep, count sheep" this saying is widely spread, but this actually does not work.

Counting sheep before going to bed was first introduced to China from abroad, the English pronunciation of "sheep" and "sleep" is very close, so it has a certain suggestive effect, but in Chinese it is not the same thing at all. This method not only can not help sleep, may also affect the sleep. Because counting sheep will unconsciously focus on counting, the brain is in a state of excitement, resulting in the more you count, the more awake you are.

Myth 4: Drinking helps you sleep

Truth: Many people think that drinking can help them sleep, because after drinking, people are drowsy and will have the illusion of falling asleep. Although drinking before bed seems to be beneficial to sleep on the surface, but in fact it may interfere with sleep.

Sleep under the effect of alcohol is often shallow, with many wake-ups in the middle of the night, and sleep is generally intermittent, especially in the second half of the night when the effect of alcohol gradually disappears, which can also cause insomnia and dreaminess, making the total quality of sleep decline. In addition, acetaldehyde will be produced after alcohol is decomposed, and the circulation of acetaldehyde in the body will lead to a certain degree of dehydration, and the mouth is usually dry after waking up from a drunken sleep, and it will be more difficult to fall asleep thereafter.

Myth 5: Exercise before going to bed helps you sleep

Truth: Exercise before going to bed will make the sympathetic nerves excited, especially the release of excitatory neurotransmitters, which in turn will make it difficult to fall asleep. It is recommended that 3 hours before bedtime do not exercise, the ideal time to exercise is the morning and afternoon, but the staff may be difficult to find a lot of time to exercise during these hours, then the night exercise can be chosen 3 to 5 hours before bedtime, and to avoid strenuous exercise, moderate exercise can make the tension during the day to eliminate, thereby improving the quality of sleep at night.

Myth 6: Sleep more = sleep well

Truth: Many people will think that sleeping more is sleeping well, but in fact, sleeping more and sleeping less is not good. Sleep time is too long, the cerebral cortex excitement will decline, resulting in drowsiness and other bad feelings. If the sleep time is too short, there will be dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, memory loss and other symptoms.Generally speaking, the recommended sleep time is 7 to 9 hours for adults and 7 to 8 hours for the elderly, although there are individual differences in sleep length, and the length is only one of the indicators to measure the quality of sleep, sleep is not only to get enough sleep, but also to sleep well, quality is more important than quantity.

The quality of sleep can be judged by four aspects:

1. Falling asleep quickly, can fall asleep in 10 to 30 minutes.

2. not easy to wake up during sleep, even if you occasionally wake up, you can also fall asleep quickly.

3. Few dreams at night or forgetting them soon after waking up.

4. Waking up with a clear mind, good mood and high energy level.

How can I have a good sleep?

Good sleep is the foundation of health, so how to improve the quality of sleep, improve sleep disorders? Instead of indulging in "drinking to help you sleep" and "counting sheep to help you sleep" "blindfold", it is better to start with these eight aspects to avoid "sleepy "situation.

1. before going to bed, do not drink tea, do not smoke, do not drink, so as not to cause the nerve center excitement.

2. Three regular meals a day in moderation, especially before bedtime do not eat too much or too hungry, from the metabolic level to help the body cells to maintain a good biorhythm.

3. Master your sleep characteristics and develop a regular sleep routine. Wake up and go to bed on time, do not go to bed early or "sleepy" to catch up on sleep, and strictly adhere to the biological rhythm.

4. You can take a 20-30 minute nap at noon to help maintain a good working condition in the afternoon.

5. Before going to bed to maintain a relaxed state, avoid excitement and stimulation, you can listen to soothing music, the sound of light waves, the sound of running water and other regular fluctuations, so that the body gradually relax into sleep.

6. The bed is only used to sleep, do not do anything else in bed. If you eat and drink in bed, play games, play cell phones, etc., it is easy to destroy the biorhythm. Especially lying in bed playing cell phones, cell phone screen blue light, will affect the operation of the nerve sleep center.

7. Hot water soaking feet and bathing before bed. Hot water foot bath, bath can promote blood circulation, relax the whole body and promote sleep.

8. The external environment of sound, light, temperature, and even space, color and bedding will directly affect the quality of sleep, it is recommended to create a warm, quiet, comfortable and other suitable environment for sleep. For example, the use of blackout material curtains, darkness is more conducive to sleep and deep sleep.

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