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In Ayurveda, sleep is revered as one of the three fundamental pillars of life, holding equal importance to diet in maintaining human health. Before the advent of electric lighting, human life was closely aligned with the natural rhythms of sunrise and sunset, and the idea of staying awake for extended hours—and the associated health consequences—was virtually non-existent.

Sleep, like the human eye, is a rare biological function that has evolved independently across species multiple times, highlighting its essential role in survival. Consistently getting less than six hours of sleep per night can severely weaken the immune system, more than double the risk of cancer, and significantly increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Even a single week of reduced sleep can disrupt blood sugar regulation to levels resembling pre-diabetes.

Lack of sufficient sleep is strongly associated with a range of cardiovascular problems, including heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure. It is also a contributing factor to numerous psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviour. Sleep deprivation increases appetite and can promote weight gain. Astonishingly, the cognitive and physical deficits resulting from just one night of inadequate sleep can be more pronounced than those caused by missing meals or skipping physical activity.

Myths about sleep

Night owls are just lazy—they can wake up early if they want to 

Not everyone shares the same circadian rhythm—some are natural early birds, while others are biologically inclined to be night owls. This variation is deeply rooted in evolution; in hunter-gatherer societies, staggered sleep patterns likely evolved to ensure that someone was always awake to guard the group from dangers. Forcing a night owl to rise early or expecting an early bird to work late can impair cognitive performance because their internal clocks simply don’t align with those schedules. These patterns are largely genetic, yet society often unfairly criticizes night owls based on the mistaken belief that their sleep preferences are merely a matter of choice.

As long as you get 8 hours of sleep, the timing doesn’t matter

While getting 8 hours of sleep is important, when you sleep matters just as much. Sleep cycles alternate between NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement) stages roughly every 90 minutes, but their proportions shift throughout the night. The first half of the night is dominated by deep NREM sleep, essential for physical repair and immune support, while the latter half contains more REM sleep, crucial for emotional balance, memory, and brain function. Sleeping at odd hours or outside your natural circadian rhythm can disrupt this delicate balance, leading to incomplete restoration of both body and mind.

Teenagers are just lazy sleepers

Our circadian rhythm naturally shifts with age. During adolescence, this internal clock moves later, meaning teenagers often don’t feel sleepy until much later in the evening compared to younger children or adults. It takes additional hours before their brain begins to wind down and allow for deep, restful sleep. In contrast, as people age, their circadian rhythm tends to shift earlier, leading to earlier bedtimes and wake-up times—and more fragmented sleep overall. So, when an older adult criticizes a teenager for sleeping in, it’s often a misunderstanding of these biological differences, not a reflection of laziness.

You can catch up on sleep over the weekend

Many people try to make up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping in on weekends. However, sleep doesn’t work like a credit card—you can’t rack up a debt and expect to pay it off later without consequences. While extra weekend sleep may offer temporary relief, the brain cannot fully recover the sleep it has been deprived of. Chronic sleep loss leaves lasting effects on your health, mood, and cognitive function, even if you try to “catch up” later.

Alcohol helps you sleep better

While alcohol may make you feel drowsy, the sleep it induces is far from natural. Instead of promoting restorative rest, it leads to fragmented sleep and suppresses REM sleep, which is vital for emotional and cognitive health. These frequent awakenings often go unnoticed but reduce sleep quality significantly. Even moderate alcohol intake can disrupt sleep architecture, making that evening drink more harmful than helpful when it comes to getting truly restful sleep.

Just set an alarm and power through

Waking up abruptly to a blaring alarm jolts the body into action by triggering the fight-or-flight response, causing a sudden spike in blood pressure and heart rate. This is in stark contrast to the calm physiological state of naturally waking. Using the snooze button only repeats this shock multiple times, putting repeated stress on the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Doing this daily, especially on weekdays, can amount to a chronic assault on your heart and overall health.

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