Sleep Myths

 

As sleep is tied to our mental well-being far more than we think, let’s look at 5 examples of common sleep myths you might still believe!

 

1. “If you want to fall asleep, you just need to try harder.”

  • ❌ Sleep isn’t an exam. The more we force ourselves and obsess over “just fall asleep already”, the more our brains treat it as a mission needed to be achieved! This actually triggers alertness instead of relaxation.
  • ✔️ Just let it go. Good sleep comes from relaxation, not from trying too hard.

 

2. “If you can’t sleep, just scroll through your phone until you get bored.”

  • ❌ Let’s be honest—when we scroll, we aren’t looking for boring stuff; we’re looking for things that interest us! This keeps our brains wired. Toss in the blue light from the screen, and that’s a recipe for staying up all night.
  • ✔️ Do a digital detox at least 30 minutes before bed. Keep any device out of arm’s reach to cut off the temptation.

 

3. “Just lie still in bed with your eyes closed then, you’ll drift off eventually.”

  • ❌ If 15–20 minutes pass without falling asleep, forcing things and staying in bed will cause the brain to learn through conditioning that “Bed = A place of frustration and alertness”. In the end, just lying on the bed will only make falling asleep even harder.
  • ✔️ Can’t sleep? Just get up! Go do some light activities under dim light outside the bedroom. Once drowsiness kicks in, head back to bed. This trains the brain to remember that “Bed = Sleep”.

 

4. “I’m so busy this week, but it’s fine—I’ll just catch up on sleep over the weekend.”

  • ❌ Our brains don’t have a “sleep savings account” to clear our debts. Sleep debt built up over days has already taken a toll on your brain function. Sleeping in on the weekend only temporarily masks the fatigue; it doesn’t undo the actual cognitive wear and tear.
  • ✔️ Try to keep a consistent sleep schedule every day and manage the workload better instead of sacrificing sleep.

 

5. “Lights out, freezing AC, absolute silence… with a perfect setup, I’m guaranteed to pass out!”

  • ❌ Sometimes, even the perfect environment is no match for a brain that still has 50 tabs open. If the mind is racing with work anxiety, tomorrow’s to-do list, or overthinking the past, sleep just isn’t going to happen.
  • ✔️ Try a Brain Dump! Jot down everything bouncing around in the head before bed. This tricks our brains into knowing that “this info is safe and saved,” allowing them to finally let go, switch off, and rest.

 

References

Chang, A.-M., Aeschbach, D., Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (2015). Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(4), 1232–1237. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418490112

Morin, C. M., & Benca, R. (2012). Chronic insomnia. The Lancet, 379(9821), 1129–1141. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60750-2