Just Five More Minutes, Oprah

The National Sleep Foundation has a list of 10 Myths and Facts about Sleep. Here they are.

1.Snoring is common but not harmful.

Snoring can be an indication that there's another problem, like sleep apnea, and snoring is related to other conditions, e.g. hypertension and obesity. So while snoring isn't harmful, it may indicate other problems. In my house, snoring is a competition. First one to sleep doesn't hear the other.

2. You can cheat on the amount of sleep you get.

You need between 7 and 9 hours per night, less creates a sleep debt. It also seems to facilitate a lot of arguing, a condition knows as "crankinus bitchmaximus".

3. Turn up the radio or open the windows to stay awake when driving.

That way the EMT's and tow truck can find your crashed car by heading for the sound, and drag you out thru the open window.

4. Teens who fall asleep in class are lazy or have bad habits.

Maybe. Teens' body clocks tend toward keeping them sleeping later, says the Institute. So does the inernet, text messaging and video games. That's my scientific finding.

5. Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep.

Duh.

6. Daytime sleepiness means a persons isn't getting enought sleep.

Not as simple as it sounds, like #5. Once again, there may be underlying medical conditions. There may also be things like quarter beer night, extra innings in the game you were watching, and the dog had to go out three times last night.

7. Health problems are related to the amount and quality of sleep.

Yeah, baby...poor or too little sleep screws up things like the body's ability to use insulin and secrete hormones, and that can lead to a lot of other problems. Ugh.

8. The older you get, the fewer hours of sleep you need.

False. Older people may wake more frequently during the night, but still need 7-9 hours. They may exhibit a change in sleep patterns, like dozing off during the day. The scientific name for this is "the nap". It is not to be mixed with other scientific phenomena like "working" or "driving".

9. During sleep, your brain rests.

Nay, nay, your brain rocks on all night, but it gets recharged during sleep.

10. If you wake during the night, count sheep or just tough it out 'till you fall back asleep.

The Institute says if you're still awake after 15-20 minutes, go do something relaxing in another room. Presumably that does not include knocking back a juice glass of Jack Daniels or downing a carton of Ben and Jerry's. Personally, I've also found TV is a bad choice, as even infomercials and Oprah seem interesting at that point.

Well, infomercials, anyway.