Misconceptions about Sleep

Hi, I'm Elliot and this is Mental Floss on YouTube. Today, I'm going to talk about some misconceptions about sleep

Misconception number one, the older you get, the less sleep you need. So this is kind of complicated because everyone has different sleep requirements

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults require an average of seven to eight hours of sleep every day

but how much a person requires depends on things like lifestyle and health

Still, sleep shouldn't decrease over the course of a person's life. Older people don't require less sleep than younger adults

I personally require like 18 hours a day. Misconception number two, dreaming only happens during REM sleep

Most of your dreams do occur during REM sleep, but it's possible to dream during any of the other four stages of sleep

These dreams are typically less intense and vivid than dreams during REM sleep

By the way, you dream for about two hours every night. Think about that

That means that every day we're presented with intense, movie-length entertainment, and we just sleep right through it every single time

It's ridiculous. Misconception number three, if you work out late at night, you won't be able to sleep

A study done in 2011 by the European Sleep Research Society examined sleep quality of subjects both after 35 minutes of exercise and after no exercise They found no difference in sleep quality A 2014 study done

at Arizona State University in Phoenix tested this idea again. They polled 1,000 adults about

exercise and sleep habits. People who exercised in the morning were more likely to report getting

better sleep, but the study did not find any compelling evidence that adults who exercised

in the evening had poor sleep quality. Misconception number four, counting sheep helps you fall asleep

A 2002 study conducted by scientists at Oxford University split insomniacs into groups

The two groups that took the longest to fall asleep were made up of subjects who were told to count sheep or given no instructions whatsoever

The researchers found that the subjects who fell asleep quickest were those in the group who were told to picture a relaxing place, like a beach, you know, in Florida with a

Nice margarita. Just a sunset. Misconception number five, your brain rests while you sleep

People believed this until the 50s when researchers discovered that brains are actually really active during sleep

In fact, according to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, during some stages of sleep, the brain is just as active as when we are fully awake

Unlike your brain though your body does rest while you sleep Sleep is the best time for your body to build bone and muscle and regenerate tissue It got a lot going on guys Misconception number six your body will get used to less sleep over time

People really started to wonder this when Margaret Thatcher told the world that she slept a mere four hours every night

In reality, it's not possible to adjust to less sleep. Some side effects of not getting enough sleep are distress and less concentration

Plus, not getting enough sleep over time puts a person at an increased risk for serious

side effects like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Misconception number seven, if you die

in your dream, you die in real life. No. Guys, this is real life, okay? Not a nightmare on Elm

Street. At least I hope so. Plenty of people have died in their dreams, then woken up and told people

about it, and then all those people have pretended to be interested. Misconception number eight, it's best just to lie in bed and wait for sleep to come. If you can't sleep, many experts agree

that the best course of action is to get out of bed. After 20 minutes of sleeplessness, you should

get up and do a relaxing activity like reading until you get tired again. Avoid your phone

computer and TV though. The light from those devices will just make the problem way worse

Misconception number 9. Yawning equals sleepy. Question. Did you yawn when I just did? Yawns

are contagious even if you not tired Plus I was just able to make myself yawn despite not being tired at all even though I faked it There are plenty of different reasons for yawning besides just being tired In fact most species yawn and some use it to threaten others Other species use it to seduce a mate

Interestingly, a study done at Drexel University found that those who were more susceptible to contagious yawns

scored high in empathy on a personality test. The same researcher then had subjects yawn while they were in MRI machines

It turned out that yawning lit up the brain regions that are associated with empathy, which are somewhere around here

Misconception number 10. you should never wake a sleepwalker. Many people believe that waking a sleepwalker will do them

serious harm. Some even claim that a sleepwalker will have a heart attack upon being awoken

It's more likely that you'll just freak them out. But sleepwalkers shouldn't just be abandoned

because they can get themselves in some pretty serious danger. In 2005, a sleepwalking 15-year-old

had to be rescued after she managed to climb up a crane that was 130 feet tall. Experts recommend

that rather than abruptly waking a sleepwalker, you should just lead them back to their bed

as long as that doesn't involve climbing up a 134