Sleep Myth Monday: Stay in Bed?

This is the latest installment of a regular feature here at SleepBetter.org: Sleep Myth Monday, where we bust sleep myths wide open, or verify that they’re actually not myths at all.

Myth or Truth: If you can’t sleep, it’s best to get out of bed.

TRUTH!

If you lay in bed while having trouble sleeping, you may eventually begin to have a negative association with your bed. This means you may begin to dread going to bed, or expect to lay awake when you get there.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, you’re much better off getting out of bed, turning on a dim light, and reading a calm book (the paper kind) or magazine (again .. the paper kind), or listening to music. Try it for 15 minutes and you may find that whatever was keeping you awake is forgotten!