The last decade has seen sleep become a hot topic in health and wellness, and while this rise in attention is welcomed, it also means a lot of misinformation has crept in and can quickly spread. We constantly see the ‘right’ number of sleep hours and anxieties around screen time - there’s definitely no shortage of claims about what helps or hinders our rest. Here we’ll look at three of the most common sleep myths and reveal what the science behind it really says.
Myth 1: Everyone needs 7-9 hours of sleep
You’ve probably heard that you must get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night, and while that is a good guideline, it’s definitely not a one size fits all rule. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours for most adults aged 18-64, but their full guidance isn't quite as strict, which says that anywhere between 6 and 10 hours can be perfectly healthy depending on the person, with adults over 64 possibly even feeling their best on a little less!
Large studies keep showing the same trends, that people who report sleeping around 7 hours per night tend to live the longest and enjoy the best overall health. But this doesn't mean that more sleep is bad for you, as in many cases poor health makes people sleep longer, not the other way around.
The truth is, your personal sleep needs depend on a few different factors:
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Genetics: Some families naturally need less or more sleep, with women tending to sleep a little longer than men.
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Activity level: If you start exercising more regularly, you’ll probably find you sleep a little longer too.
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Season: We often sleep a bit more in the winter when the nights are longer, as we spoke about last time.
So rather than getting hung up on a specific number, you should focus on how you feel throughout the day. If you wake up feeling refreshed, manage to stay focused and don’t rely on caffeine to function, then your sleep is likely doing its job.
Myth 2: Screen time before bed will ruin your sleep
We’ve all been told to put our phones down before bed if we want to sleep better - and there is truth in this advice, but it’s also a bit exaggerated.
Firstly, why do people say screens are bad for sleep?
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Light exposure: blue light from screens can delay your body clock and make it harder to drift off
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Stimulation: exciting or emotional content can make you more alert, when you should really be winding down for the night
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Time loss: endless scrolling can leave you with less time to rest
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Notifications: alerts can wake you up through the night
While these can all definitely affect sleep, research shows that screen time isn't always the problem we think it is. Many studies have shown that for people who get plenty of bright light during the day, evening screen time doesn't actually have a meaningful effect on sleep. The key here is to be mindful about how and what you watch. A calming series or e-book is fine, but endlessly scrolling on social media or playing highly-stimulating games is probably not the best idea. I always keep all devices on Do Not Distrutb, or even better, leave my phone in another room overnight (if you don’t use it as an alarm).
So while some types of screen time can affect sleep, a little wind down screen time is usually not a problem at all, especially if your sleep and daytime energy already feel good
Myth 3: Caffeine is always bad for sleep
Caffeine has a bit of a complicated reputation when it comes to sleep, but for good reason. It can absolutely disturb sleep, but it depends on when and how often you have it. Studies have shown that high doses of caffeine close to bedtime can reduce our total sleep time by around 45 minutes and lower sleep efficiency by about 7%. It can even slightly delay your body clock, pushing you to sleep later than you should.
This does sound worrying, but most research on caffeine and sleep is quite exaggerated, with participants often going caffeine free for days before testing which makes them much more sensitive to caffeine. The truth is, regular coffee or tea drinkers often sleep just as well as everyone else after a typical amount of caffeine - one study even found that people who had the equivalent of six espressos for nine days slept almost the same as when they had no caffeine at all!
Tea, coffee and even cocoa actually have plenty of health benefits, such as improved brain function, cardiovascular and skin health.
Timing still matters though, some top tips are:
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Finish caffeine intake at least 9 hours before bed.
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Keep your total daily intake under 3mg per kg of bodyweight (roughly two cups of coffee for the average person).
With all that being said, caffeine sensitivity is different from person to person. Your genetics, health and daily habits all play a role. The best way to tell is with your own sleep quality - if you sleep well, you probably don't need to change much.
Let’s put these myths to bed
As we’ve said, sleep isn't a one size fits all, it’s much more complex and fascinating than most of the popular advice that keeps trending. When thinking about the ‘right’ number of hours, screen time before bed, or an afternoon coffee, just remember it’s all about balance. Listen to your body, take note of how your sleep feels and change your habits gradually rather than following generic advice that doesn't work for everyone.
If you have any questions about sleep or want to talk about other myths, pop us a message! You can find us on Instagram or Facebook @finebeddingco
Sleep well, and don’t believe everything you hear before bedtime!
