Why You're Always Tired - 7 Myths Ruining Your Sleep

I recently interviewed sleep expert Russel Foster on my podcast to debunk some of the popular myths around sleep that leave us feeling tired and anxious. Hopefully, this will help you worry less about sleep and approach sleep in the healthiest way possible. Enjoy x

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If we haven’t yet before - Hey 👋 I’m Ali, a doctor-turned-entrepreneur and I’ve somehow become the world’s most followed productivity expert. Through my videos here on this channel, my podcast Deep Dive and writing, I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you be more productive and build a life you love.

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00:00 Intro
01:20 Myth #1
03:49 Myth #2
04:54 Myth #3
05:48 Myth #4
06:45 Myth #5
08:15 Myth #6
09:41 Myth #7

[matis]

I can’t wake up without an alarm. Without an alarm I’ll just sleep like 12 hours. Unfortunately never have the time for that really

[sophiaisabelle]

These seven myths can certainly be damaging. We appreciate Ali for his clarification on what should be done to get proper sleep.

[izzylizzyasmr]

I’m really interested in this subject. When I was in my teens I would literally take 2 hour naps every day at around 3 in the afternoon because I was SO TIRED. Now, I’m 23 and since like 1 year, I don’t feel like I need naps anymore to even feel remotely awake throughout the day.
So hearing the professor say that your sleep schedule changes throughout the years, makes me so happy. It makes so much sense.
And now I’m off to sleep! Goodnight y’all 😴

[insiyanagree]

I think unattended mental/emotional stress subconsciously playing up, can be one of the major factors affecting sleep. Actively dealing with it usually makes sleep quite peaceful.
Also, weather would another important variant affecting sleep in my opinion.

[fossentv]

I have severe difficulties sleeping. These are the BEST tips I have implemented.

1: Exercise throughout the day for minimum 60 min
2: Wake up early, so you actually feel tired at night

[dianasmirnova]

My average amount of sleep is 10 hours which others say is too much. However, whenever I wake up after having 8 hours considered "normal" I feel I have barely had any sleep. Unfortunately, it's hard to keep up with 10 hours due to work, going to the office, returning late, and running errands around the house. Therefore, Saturday is the day I look for, so my body can restore all the energy and needed sleep.

[Schwarz_Sinister]

Most useful thing I've found for my sleep is an automated curtain opener! I need total darkness to sleep, but have a hard time waking up if it's still dark when my alarm goes off. Having an automatic curtain opener to flood my room with daylight helps convince my mind and body that YES! it IS time to get up!

[Gretchaninov]

I wonder how many people are watching this at 3am, unable to sleep...

[charlottecolling]

I personally haven't struggled with sleep during my lifetime, except for the normal amount of occasional struggles due to outside circumstances, but one thing that has really helped me at college is only using my bed for sleep. I've developed the habit of dedicating places to certain things, such as my desk for working, my bean bag chair for relaxing, and my bed for sleeping. Since I've started this, my brain instantly knows I'm going to go to sleep when I get into my bed, and I not only fall asleep faster, I tend to have more minutes of REM sleep and I wake up feeling better rested!

[ZeBiii]

The 2. myth stressed me. I was awake and felt like i had enough sleep with 6 hr. But because everyone would say noo you need 8 hr, I thought someting is wrong with me. I would stress myself to get 8 hr. But when I would sleep longer ironically I would feel sleepy whole day & have headeaches...

[Real_Nutella]

Took that test and got 38. I am definitely an evening to night person, but am able to go to sleep early and wake up early if I need to for work. I have also worked overnights before. Most of my life I feel like no matter how much or how little sleep I get, I always feel tired. So regardless of how I feel, I know I have to be productive. It's a strange superpower. I can function very well on little amounts of sleep because I am used to it.

[josh]

Hey Ali. I found the myth about Melatonin to be incredibly interesting for my case. Im 25 now, male, and I have been having issues with sleep for my entire life. For the past 3 years, ive been taking melatonin (1mg) every night. I fully understand the way statistics about it work, say how it reduces the amount of time to fall asleep by 7min, but in my case I really think it helps me fall asleep 1-2h sooner than I would naturally fall asleep. Would be an interesting discussion to figure out how come, why, and find why it works so well for me but maybe not so well for others.

[NoName-nybt]

I stopped snacking or eating anything after 7 PM. So naturally I get really hungry in the mornings and I wake up around 6 AM without an alarm clock because of the hunger pangs. I eat breakfast right after waking up, skip lunch and then eat dinner by 6 PM. I just had to fix my eating schedule and my sleep schedule was fixed on its own. No one talks about it but this definitely works better than all the crazy hacks I’ve seen and tried.

[austinprice-pianist]

Sleep is difficult for me as I’m full time university student studying piano. But so far in college your idea that “nothing good happens after 2am” has helped me know that its better to leave some “have-to assignment” for the next day in morning rather than destroying my week through one day. I think being less anxious about have-to’s as well as sleep paradoxically make us more productive. Thanks Ali for sleep video..good vibes 😀

[Bray-Official]

The amazing storytelling and editied, and your personality involved with this just makes the video better! Great video Ali :)

[kevinroyfr]

I started listening to podcasts to sleep and it's probably one of the best changes I've made to get to sleep.

[eightwhy]

Summary of Myths:
1.) It doesn't matter when you sleep as long as you sleep enough.
2.) Everyone needs 8 hours of sleep
3.) We should wake up at the same time every day
4.) You should avoid blue light before sleep
5.) Sleep apps help you sleep better
6.) Melatonin helps you sleep better
7.) Polyphasic sleep (sleeping over more than two sleeping periods each day) is good for your productivity

[Alex-plrk]

I‘ve had really bad insomnia in certain phases of my life and found that my insomnia is in exact correlation with my meditation habits. So when I meditate before sleep or even just during the day, I fall asleep much faster and stay asleep throughout the night. Hope this helps some of you!

[juliasutton]

I recently watched a video about the relationship between ADHD and sleep. Melatonin, according to the study cited in that video, has a significantly greater effect on people with ADHD compared to a minor effect it has on neurotypical/non-ADHD people

[lalitdas]

I had trouble sleeping at night, The things that work on me are as follows:-

1. Wake-up early same time every day, so I feel sleepy at night time.
2. I started exercising on regular basis.
3. When i go to bed, I close my eyes & listen to book summary on an app. Helps me sleep under 15 minutes.🛌