We take a deep dive to bust 7 of the most common and pervasive sleep myths with Dr Neil Stanley. Having spent the last 36 involved in sleep research and education, Dr Stanley is well qualified to join us on our myth-busting journey today.

Prefer to read? Download the full episode transcript here

Episode Highlights

* 01:53 Introducing Dr Neil Stanley

* 03:22 What is a sleep expert?

* 11:00 Myth 1: Sleep is a passive activity

* 18:59 Myth 2: The older you get the less sleep you need

* 25:10 Myth 3: You can catch up with sleep at the weekends

* 31:16 Myth 4: You can learn to be a morning person

* 36:08 Myth 5: Teenagers are lazy and like to lie in bed in the mornings

* 40:53 Myth 6: Snoring is harmless

* 50:37 Myth 7: Alcohol is an effective sleep aid

Join us on our inaugural podcast as we sift fact from the fiction and look at some of the most common myths and misconceptions about sleep and sleep health. Joining us is Dr Neil Stanley, who has spent over 30 years involved in sleep research. Here's a run down of what you can expect to hear:

This episode's guest:

Dr Neil Stanley

Dr Neil Stanley has been been involved in sleep research for over 30 years, and describes himself plain and simply as a 'sleep expert'.

Resources:

Dr Stanley's website - www.sleepconsultancy.com

How To Sleep Well book - https://amzn.to/2PjTZfl

More sleep myths - http://sleepjunkies.com/features/the-33-biggest-myths-about-sleep-and-insomnia-de-bunked/

More Episodes:

Full transcript

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Jeff Mann: This morning, I'm joined with Dr. Neil Stanley and I'm really pleased to have him on the end of the line. And Neil has got a long-standing history as a researcher and a scientist and I’ll let him talk a little bit more about that. So. Hi, Neil. How you doing?

Dr Neil Stanley: Good morning. Yeah, I mean, it's great to be here.

Jeff Mann: I often ask guests to give me an elevator pitch for their product or their service but you're not promoting anything except yourself. So, can you give our listeners just a very brief overview of who you are? Actually, before we do that there's a brilliant bit on your website, I just like to read out just as a preface to your introduction so on your website sleepconsultancy.com on the About page it made me laugh so I'm just going to read it out.

It says “Dr. Neil Stanley, what I am not, I’m not and these are all in inverted commas here. I'm not asleep advocate sleep diplomat, sleep practitioner, sleep educator, sleep evangelist, sleep therapist. Sleep physiologist, sleep environmental analyst, sleep fairy, sleep guru, sleep geek sleep solution expert sleep Ambassador sleep Health Navigator sleep solution expert international sleep speaker and educator or any other fancy title I am a sleep expert plain and simple." I love that.

Introducing Dr Neil Stanley, Sleep Expert

Dr Neil Stanley: Yeah I mean this is it, I mean I am asleep expert but I mean I've been involved in sleep research for the last 36 years initially worked alongside the world Air Force at the Institute of Aviation Medicine looking at things like workload, jet lag, shift work & medicines you can take and safely fly. In the early 90s I moved to the University of Surrey. I created and ran the world's largest clinical trial sleep laboratory, a 24 bed unit and as part of that I designed constructed the 12 finest bedrooms built anywhere...