5 Insane Facts About Sleep That You Didn't Know

5. Sleep Deprivation and Its Consequences

Going without sleep is known as sleep deprivation, and even missing a single night can start to take a toll on your body and mind. After just 24 hours without sleep, you might feel irritable, anxious, and easily frustrated. Your brain begins to slow down, making it harder to focus and process information. By the time you hit 48 hours, extreme exhaustion sets in, and your body may start shutting down momentarily through episodes called micro-sleeps—brief, involuntary moments where you lose consciousness for just a second or two, often without realizing it.

If you manage to stay awake for 72 hours, things get much worse. Your ability to concentrate deteriorates, simple tasks feel overwhelming, and paranoia might start creeping in. People who have stayed awake for extended periods often report hallucinations and delusions, similar to those caused by certain drugs. Those who use stimulants like methamphetamine experience similar effects after days without sleep. After the three-day mark, the risk of experiencing psychotic symptoms—such as seeing or hearing things that aren’t there—significantly increases.

4. The Widespread Issue of Sleep Deprivation

Lack of sleep isn’t just an occasional problem; it’s a widespread issue affecting millions of people worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three Americans doesn’t get enough sleep. While experts recommend at least seven hours of sleep per night, a significant portion of the population regularly fails to reach that amount.

Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to numerous health problems, including heart disease, obesity, weakened immunity, and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. Many people underestimate the impact of insufficient sleep, but studies show that regularly sleeping less than six hours per night can increase the risk of early death.

3. The Shocking Case of Kenneth Parks

One of the most shocking examples of sleep disorders occurred in 1987 when a Canadian man named Kenneth Parks committed a horrific crime—while sleepwalking. In the middle of the night, Parks got into his car and drove 12 miles (20 km) to his mother-in-law’s house. Upon arrival, he entered the home and brutally bludgeoned his mother-in-law to death with a tire iron. Afterward, he attempted to strangle his father-in-law, though he failed to kill him.

After committing these violent acts, Parks—covered in blood—drove himself to the police station and turned himself in, confessing that he may have just killed two people. What made this case particularly unusual was that Parks had no memory of the crime and was believed to have been sleepwalking the entire time.

Medical experts examined his case and found that he suffered from a rare sleep disorder, which led to him acting out his dreams in real life. Due to this, he was found not guilty of murder, as the court ruled that he had no conscious intent to commit the crime.

2. A Sleepwalker’s Dangerous Journey

Sleepwalking doesn’t always result in violence, but it can still lead to incredibly dangerous situations. In 2005, a 15-year-old girl in England unknowingly left her bed while sleepwalking and embarked on an astonishing and life-threatening journey.

Somehow, while completely unconscious, she managed to climb a 130-foot (40-meter) crane. When authorities found her, she was still asleep at the top of the crane. A firefighter had to climb up and rescue her, carefully waking her up to prevent her from falling.

Imagine going to sleep in your bed and waking up at the top of a towering crane! The girl was extremely confused and disoriented, having no memory of how she got there. This case remains one of the most bizarre and extreme examples of sleepwalking ever recorded.

1. The Mystery of Black-and-White Dreams

Dreams have fascinated scientists for decades, leading to countless studies on how and why we dream. One particularly strange discovery is that around 12% of people only dream in black and white.

Why does this happen? Researchers aren’t entirely sure, but one leading theory suggests that it may be influenced by early childhood exposure to black-and-white television. Studies have found that older generations, who grew up watching black-and-white TV, report dreaming in monochrome far more often than younger generations who were raised with color television.

This suggests that external factors, such as the media we consume, might play a role in shaping our dreams. While there’s still much we don’t know about dreaming, the connection between television and dream color is a fascinating insight into how our subconscious mind works.