If you’re relying on sleeping pills to get to sleep and stay asleep every night, you might want to think again. 

 

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

“Who needs sleep when there’s coffee?”

“I’ll catch up on sleep when life calms down.”

 

You’ve probably heard one or more of these sleep myths being tossed around by bleary-eyed friends and neighbors. Maybe you’ve even said it yourself.

 

That’s because in today’s productivity-obsessed hustle culture, sleep is rarely a priority.

 

In fact, in some cases, operating on little sleep seems more like a badge of honor when, in reality, it should be a warning sign for what’s likely to come. In my practice treating people with sleep issues, I’ve heard all these myths and more.

 

Perhaps the most essential biological process next to breathing, sleep is often relegated to the bottom of the vital function totem pole. People talk at length about improving their diet and finally committing to an exercise routine. They buy life-enhancing products, make New Year’s resolutions, and join gyms. But I rarely hear about people wanting to make sleep a top priority.

Folks often put off getting help for their sleep issues. They think that because sleep deprivation doesn’t progress like cancer and doesn’t produce pain like a toothache does, they can put off treating it indefinitely. They resolve to patch the problem with a pricey new mattress promising the best sleep of their life, or some new-fangled pillow they saw advertised online.

 

Or worse, they begin using alcohol to drift off each night and then the next day drink copious amounts of coffee to stay awake. Many people resort to taking sleeping pills, which can lead to a bad habit or even a full-blown addiction.

 

Unfortunately, these quick fixes just make the underlying problem worse.

 

Over my many years as a physician, I have come to realize that sleep is just as crucial—perhaps even more—than other biological functions. In actuality, sleep is the biological superpower that makes all the other processes possible. It is a complex biological function that helps us process new information, stay healthy, and feel rested. It is essential for growth, concentration, focus, memory, learning, healing, emotional well-being, and more.

 

If it’s that essential, why are so few of us getting the sleep that we need? HOW do we fix it?