March 21st is World Sleep Day, with the theme of "Healthy Sleep for Everyone to Share" in China. The recently released "2023 Chinese Residents Sleep White Paper" shows that the average sleep duration of Chinese residents is 6.75 hours, with an average of falling asleep after midnight. The nighttime sleep duration is generally shorter. Do you have any sleep problems? What are common cognitive misconceptions about sleep? How to get high-quality sleep? Science and Technology Daily interviewed relevant experts on this matter. Understanding sleep knowledge and improving sleep quality, what is the appropriate amount of sleep duration? Li Yun, Director of the Sleep Medicine Center at Shantou University School of Medicine, said, "People of different age groups need different sleep duration. Middle aged people generally have 7-8 hours of sleep, and in reality, many people become anxious because they cannot meet this indicator." The duration of insomnia varies from person to person. "In fact, 7-8 hours is just the average level. Everyone's sleep varies, for example, people carrying the short sleep gene only sleep 5-6 hours a day without affecting their mental state; while those carrying the long sleep gene may need to sleep for about 10 hours." Li Yun said that research has shown that people carrying the short sleep gene and the long sleep gene, as long as their sleep quality is high, their sleep duration will not have a negative impact on their physical and mental state. Li Yun introduced that regular sleep is very important, as irregular sleep can disrupt the biological clock. Regular sleep does not mean that one must go to bed and wake up at a certain time every day, but rather that the time points for sleeping and waking up should be relatively fixed, with a fluctuation of about half an hour before and after. For example, going to bed at 11 o'clock on the first day, and going to bed at 10:30 or 11:30 the next day is also acceptable. In reality, many insomnia sufferers choose to get up early and wait for drowsiness. "Even if you can't sleep, stick to lying in bed. If you don't sleep well, you can't get up. Both of these methods can damage sleep." Li Yun said, "If you can't sleep, get up, and wait until you're tired before sleeping. This can help the brain establish a conditioned reflex with the environment - the bedroom and bed are sleeping, promoting sleep." Taking a proper nap is beneficial to the body, but many people don't know that taking a long nap can damage sleep. A previous study by Guangzhou Medical University showed that for people who get enough sleep every night, taking a nap of no more than 1 hour per day is beneficial for heart health, but taking a nap of more than 1 hour may increase the risk of death by 30%. "Taking a nap for too long can lead to a lack of energy in the afternoon and even 'overdraw' nighttime sleep." Li Yun said, "Taking a nap for about half an hour is best, and closing your eyes for half an hour can also help you rest." Deep sleep is called 'golden sleep' and can effectively relieve fatigue. Does less deep sleep mean low sleep quality? "Some people are worried when they monitor their deep sleep for only 2 hours. It's not necessary because deep sleep already only accounts for 20-25% of their sleep time. It's important to have a comprehensive understanding of sleep knowledge as much as possible to avoid anxiety caused by incomplete understanding," said Li Yun. Moderate exercise helps with sleep, but it is important to manage exercise time well. "Avoid vigorous exercise within 3 hours before going to bed, such as exercise with a heart rate exceeding 120 beats. Vigorous exercise can stimulate the brain and affect falling asleep." Li Yun said that evening exercise is beneficial for promoting nighttime sleep. Before going to bed, one should avoid eating and do relaxation training. Can drinking alcohol hypnotize? Alcohol may be helpful for falling asleep