sleep

Sleep Myths

CNN.com has an article that has sleep experts correcting common misconceptions about sleep.

The quick run down is, you should get more sleep, lots more, but not too much. Here are the 10 myths they cover:

1. Adults need five or fewer hours of sleep.

2. It's healthy to be able to fall asleep 'anywhere, anytime'.

3. Your brain and body can adapt to less sleep.

4. Snoring, although annoying, is mostly harmless.

5. Drinking alcohol before bed helps you fall sleep.

6. Not sleeping? Stay in bed with eyes closed and try and try.

7. It doesn't matter what time of day you sleep.

8. Watching TV in bed helps you relax.

9. Hitting snooze is great! No need to get up right away.

10. Remembering your dreams is a sign of good sleep.

Sleep and PTSD

Research on how sleep helps us deal with trauma...

"Our memories, as it turns out, are highly dependent on what we forget.During the day, our brains are recording. At night, they switch to editing, cutting out extraneous details and consolidating the important ones. Without this editing phase, the brain would be crowded with so much junk that—like a hoarder looking for their social security card—it wouldn’t be able to find the important things necessary for survival. Forgetting also enables the brain to erase out-of-date and inaccurate facts so they can be replaced with updated information.