{"id":107266,"date":"2017-07-31T02:00:32","date_gmt":"2017-07-31T09:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=107266"},"modified":"2017-07-31T12:45:35","modified_gmt":"2017-07-31T19:45:35","slug":"sleep-myths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/sleep-myths\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Sleep Mistakes You’re Probably Making"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you paying attention to your sleep patterns? If not, you should because proper sleep is incredibly important to your health and overall well-being.<\/p>\n

While there’s a\u00a0laundry list of do’s and don’ts, we chatted with sleep expert\u00a0Dr. Rebecca Robbins<\/a>\u00a0to debunk the five most common sleep myths.<\/p>\n

Myth #1: You can get by on five hours of sleep
\n<\/strong>No, definitely not. Although your body could<\/em> get used to it, more evidence shows that missing sleep could make you more susceptible\u00a0to daytime fatigue and put you at risk for various diseases. Try to get about seven hours of sleep every night — if something throws off your sleep schedule, try to fit in a nap. Just don’t get too dependent on naps to fix your sleep habits.<\/p>\n

Myth #2: Exercise over sleep
\n<\/strong>It’s true…a good sweat sesh can help you fall asleep faster and sleep better. However, don\u2019t think that exercise trumps all. Dr. Robbins says, \u201cWhen we are sleep deprived, we are less able to exert energy, so our workouts are not as good as when we are sufficiently rested.” If you want to work out hard, you have to sleep hard. The good news? It doesn\u2019t matter if you work out in the morning or at night — you’ll reap the benefits as long as you give yourself time to power down and catch some z’s.<\/p>\n

Myth #3: Your bedroom needs to be warm and cozy
\n<\/strong>As nice as it sounds, it won\u2019t help you get more rest. Research shows you need a cool space — around 65 degrees. Whether you use a temperature regulating mattress or wear lighter pajamas, try anything that helps lower the temperature in your environment.<\/p>\n

Myth #4: Drinking alcohol before bed can help you sleep
\n<\/strong>While we all like to indulge in a cocktail or two, Dr. Robbins says you can have small serving at night (phew) as long as you don\u2019t overdo it. Try relaxing with some caffeine-free tea or sparkling water instead.<\/p>\n

Myth #5: Lowering the brightness on your phone means it’s OK to use before bed
\n<\/strong>We know, this one\u2019s tough. Dr. Robbins explains, \u201cThe human body is remarkably responsive to light exposure. Bright blue light triggers the alert phase of our circadian rhythm, so using devices\u00a0such as smartphones or televisions\u00a0that emit light at night can trigger the awake mechanism instead of the sleep mechanism in the brain.” With your phone by your side, it’s so easy to start checking social media or stay up watching the next episode of your favorite show. Resist the temptation and unwind with a little meditation, a good book, or by journaling.<\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"Are you paying attention to your sleep patterns? If not, you should because proper sleep ...","author":273040,"featured_media":107428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/28163627\/sleep-660x400.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/28163627\/sleep.jpg","formated_date":"July 31, 2017","category_name":"Wellness","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113835\/health-2.svg","author_name":"","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#840037","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107266"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/273040"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107266\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}