Top Sleep Myths I Learned While Researching My New Book

Excerpt: Chapter 1 of “Make Sleep Your Superpower”

Sleep is the most underrated activity that affects physical well-being, energy level, mood, memory and thinking skills — for people of any age. Good sleep puts you in charge of your emotions, your actions and reactions, your productivity, your entire day.

However, much of what you hear about sleep is wrong or misguided. Pharmaceutical companies and others who make money off the myths want you to think we’re all sleep-deprived zombies, that snoring is always a bad sign, that older people can’t sleep well, and that drugs or expensive devices are the best and only solutions.

In my new book, Make Sleep Your Superpower: A Guide to Greater Health, Happiness & Productivity, I debunk these and other common sleep myths and misconceptions, explain how sleep works and how much we really need, and what happens when we don’t get enough. I then lay out 20 practical, science-based strategies for falling asleep faster, sleeping more soundly, and sleeping efficiently — especially in the most restorative and rejuvenating stages of sleep, when your brain and body carry out most of the repair work necessary to allow you to be at the top of your game the next day.