1. You can make up for lost sleep.

2. False Staying up until all hours of the morning and sleeping during the day is what Harvard sleep expert Robert Stickgold, Ph.D., refers to as “sleep bulimia” He stated that this pattern upsets your circadian rhythm and makes it harder for you to get refreshing sleep

3. Waking up in the middle of the night is actually a form of insomnia

4. True This occurrence is actually called sleep maintenance insomnia and is a relatively common problem. This problem cannot be fixed by over the counter sleep aids

5. Alcohol will help you sleep

6. False Alcohol has an immediate sleep inducing effect, but as the alcohol levels in your blood start to fall, there is a stimulant or wake up effect. They recommend avoiding alcohol at least four hours before you go to sleep

7. Napping only makes you more tired

8. False A short snooze that last around 10 to 20 minutes actually improves performance, alertness and can put you in a better mood. After more than 20 minutes, the brain moves into a deeper phase of sleep called the slow-wave sleep, which can make you feel groggy when you wake up

9. Dreams can happen anytime during the night

10. False We only spend around two hours dreaming each night. Sleep has five phases and dreaming only happens during the last stage

11. You can develop a tolerance to over-the-counter sleeping aids

12. True Sleep aids can be effective for an occasional sleepless night, but the longer you take them, the less likely they are to make you sleepy. They can aslo leave you feeling groggy and unwell the next day.