DON'T take Trump's sleep advice: Myths are making us sick, study warns 

People with financial success of fame like President Trump, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk love to brag about how little sleep they need.

But myths about how much sleep we need are rising to the level of a 'public health threat,' according to a new New York University study.  

The most damaging is the idea you can get by on five or fewer hours of shut-eye a night, as Trump insists he does. 

Americans also believe that snoring is harmless and that a 'night cap' will send you into a more peaceful slumber - but these are all false and harmful to our health, the study authors warn.  

Britain and the US are among the most sleep deprived countries in the world. Not getting enough has been linked with a host of diseases from dementia to heart disease and cancer.

Study leader Dr Rebecca Robbins, an epidemiologist at New York University's School of Medicine, said: 'Sleep is a vital part of life that affects our productivity, mood and general health and well-being.

'Dispelling myths about sleep promotes healthier sleep habits which, in turn, promote overall better health.'

In the first investigation of its kind, her team reviewed over 8,000 websites to identify the 20 most common assumptions.

Sleep medicine experts ranked each based on if they could be dispelled as fiction or supported by scientific evidence - and on the harm it could cause.

The claim by some that they can survive on only five hours a night was among the top myths they were able to refute.

It also poses the most serious risk to health from long-term sleep deficits, said the researchers.

They suggest creating a consistent sleep schedule and spending more time asleep - at least seven hours, as recommended by the World Health Organization, American Heart Association and various sleep and public health experts the world over.