Mix 94.1 Health Tip: Myths You May Believe About Sleeping

We all love to sleep. That is really my most favorite time of the day. It also can be hard to get to sleep. You look at the clock constantly.

That is not good either. We believe a lot of things about sleep. Some are true. Some are not. The ones that are not are the ones we need to discuss.

We can't sleep and we look at the clock and think "OK I will be fine if I can just get 5 hours of sleep." Do you find yourself thinking that. Do you believe that is true? Well of course not. Study after study shows that if you regularly get less than 5 hours of sleep in could increase your risk of some bad things. You could increase your risk of heart disease and even early death. So strive for more sleep than that. At all cost.

Some people think that snoring is annoying but other than that it really is harmless. Well that is not true either. If you or your partner snore and snore loudly you need to go see a doctor. Loud snoring is a sign of sleep apnea. Especially if there tends to be pausing in the breathing. That can be really dangerous. Sleep apnea  increases your risk of a lot of other health issues. On that list includes diabetes, heart attacks and even cancer.

Maybe you have an easier time falling asleep if you have a beer or glass of wine. That is true that it may help you fall asleep. The problem with this way of thinking is that  you don't get as much deep sleep and you would without the drink. So you may wake up feeling even more tired.

You need to try your best to get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Just so you know that any less than that and your mind and body are suffering. So do what it takes and get that sleep you need.