50 Bizarre Truths About Sleep That You Probably Never Knew

50 Bizarre Truths About Sleep That You Probably Never Knew

We all engage in it, some more than others, and the vast majority of us value it immensely. When we finally shut down for the night, strange and wonderful things happen to us...Dreams come to life in dreamland, but weird and sometimes deadly things can also occur there. There's more to sleep than meets the eye, as we'll see today, and it's only in the recent decades that we've started to recognize its significance.

Without further adieu, you have entered the no-wake zone.

#50. If you go without sleep it’s called sleep deprivation, and you can start to feel

Cranky and anxious if you go just 24 hours without a doze. Go 48 hours, and you will become very fatigued. At this point you might have something called “micro-sleeps”, which means dropping off without even knowing it for just a second or two.

Go 72 hours, and it’s likely you have difficulty concentrating and might start to get paranoid – ask any methamphetamine fiend what happens to them after a few days insufflating crystals. After the three day mark, there’s a chance you might suffer from bouts of psychosis.

#49. One in three Americans get too little sleep, according to the CDC.

Most people don't get the seven hours of sleep scientists recommend.

#48. Kenneth Parks drove to his mother-in-law's residence in 1987.

He entered the house and killed his mother-in-law with a tire iron. After that, he failed to strangle his father-in-law. Parks drove to the police station, bloody, and informed them he may have killed two individuals. He was acquitted because he was sleepwalking.

#47. A 15-year-old English girl walked while sleepwalking in 2005.

She scaled a 130-foot crane. A firefighter ascended the crane and rescued her. He found her sleeping. Having slept in her bed and woken up on a crane, she was confused. Imagine that happening to you.

#46. Dream research has been extensive.

About 12% of people only dream in black and white.Why? No idea. We know more Americans dream in black and white. Black-and-white TV was the key reason.

#45. Only 25% of US married couples sleep together, according to the National Sleep

Foundation. Disrupting each other's sleep patterns is more likely to cause a breakup than falling out of love or arguing.

#44. Some people struggle to get up in the morning.

Some struggle, but others just can't move. "Dyspnea" describes this. This can happen for many reasons, including not receiving enough quality sleep. Depression or anxiety may be involved. Chronic dyspnea is not a medical ailment, but some victims stay in bed for days.

#43. Blind folks may dream about the world they've never seen.

Blind persons prefer to dream about taste, smell, and sounds, but some have visual dreams. Blind folks also suffer more nightmares. These may relate to falling or getting lost.

#42. People who rarely wake up during REM sleep claim to never dream.

Self-proclaimed non-dreamers who were awakened during REM sleep acknowledged dreaming.

#41. Do dogs have dreams?

Scientists examined the electrical activity of dogs' brains while they were sleeping, and it appears that they do.

According to some of the scientists, the average sized dog will begin to dream after roughly 20 minutes of sleep. At this moment, you should be able to see the dog's quick eye movements.

So, do dogs sleepwalk as well as humans? The answer appears to be no, though they may flop around a little when sleeping. It's improbable that you'll find your dog fast asleep at the top of a crane one day.

#40. We don't know where the story came from, but some individuals believe that if they die in their dreams, they will die in real life.

Simply expressed, this is nonsense. Many people have claimed to have died in a dream and survived to tell the tale.

#39. Humans are the only animals that purposefully sleep later.

#38. The body does not adjust to shift employment, according to the National Sleep

According to the organization's website, persons who work shifts and vary their sleep patterns frequently are more prone to acquire ailments such as cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases later in life.

#37. Around 90 million Americans snore, with 37 million doing so on a regular basis.

#36. Some people, including some celebrities, claim they don't sleep much at all.

Trump wrote in his book "Think Like a Billionaire"..."Don't sleep any longer than necessary." "I usually get four hours of sleep per night."At the very least, he paid someone to write it in a book for him.

According to some accounts, he sleeps roughly 6 hours every night, which is the same as Elon Musk. In reality, we discovered numerous stories claiming that many CEOs and celebrities only sleep four to six hours every night.

Let's get strange again...The most exciting part is still to come.

#35. Lee Hadwin is a man from the United Kingdom.

He's been painting in his dreams since he was four, and he's continued to do so as an adult. He's been branded the "sleepwalking artist," and he's made a fortune selling his masterpieces. He goes to bed, and when he wakes up, he has a drawing or picture in front of him.

He claimed that when he was 15 years old, he awoke to find that he had drawn an excellent portrait of Marilyn Monroe. The problem was that he had no talent for drawing in his waking life.

Some of his paintings have sold for six figures, and Donald Trump has even purchased one. He's made a lot of money while putting in little work.Scientists have been perplexed by Hadwin's abilities, and no one knows how he creates his masterpieces while sleeping. Some have accused him of being a fraud, but experts at the Edinburgh Sleep Clinic have witnessed him sleep-working and say he's the real deal.

#34. Most people can usually fall asleep after 7 to 15 minutes of attempting, but those who have experienced stress or insomnia will likely tell you that it can often take them hours to find rest.

#33. On the other side, you can be sleep deprived if you're the type of person who nods out as soon as your head touches the pillow.

#32. Even though the data used is from CDC research that is now ten years old, you can find recent articles in the media that claim that nine million Americans use sleeping pills.

Nevertheless, we came across more articles discussing Americans' difficulties falling asleep. In fact, it appears that millions of adults take sleeping pills or drugs to relieve stress and worry. The drawbacks of this include some adverse effects and drug dependence. When someone tries to stop taking medicine, they may have worse anxiety, tension, or insomnia. This is known as a rebound effect.

#31. The younger you are, the more sleep you get.

Babies often sleep 14 to 17 hours per day and have little trouble drifting off. 14 to 17-year-olds typically sleep 7 to 11 hours each day. According to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, it is critical for children tohave this extra sleep compared to adults who can function on 7 hours.

If their teen prefers to sleep for 10 hours, parents should not nag.Despite this, the CDC reports that two-thirds of high school kids do not get enough sleep, particularly on school nights.

#30. Twenty percent of American adults use alcohol before going to bed, and if you've ever done so, you'll know that it can help you go asleep.

But is it helpful for you...in terms of sleep, rather than what it causes to your organs? According to specialists, a drunk sleep may not be the best sleep because alcohol. can hinder you from experiencing those good REM sleeps.

It's also possible that you'll wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back to sleep. Some of you may already be aware that a bucket of beer could result in numerous bathroom breaks during the night, and that drunk people often snore when they're asleep. Because the alcohol has loosened their throat muscles, and because they are more likely to sleep on their backs when they are drunk.

#29. More people are now texting in their sleep, especially people who have grown up with a cell phone.

This is a very new kind of "parasomnia," which means a problem with sleeping. Still, it's a good reason if you send a text you regret the next day. If your partner finds out that you texted an old flame, you now know what to say: "My love, it was just a sleep-text....Nothing I could do about it."

Here's something really strange.

#28. We imagine that a few of you who are watching this movie have woken up in the middle of the night starving.

You went down to the kitchen, broke into the fridge, and left a mess in your wake. It is officially known as "Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder."

People who have experienced this have raided the kitchen several times in a single night, but they don't remember anything the next day. Although it may appear amusing, NES can be dangerous because eating while still asleep can result in choking or an accident.

People have been known to gain a lot of weight in extreme cases, while others have fired up the stove and prepared a complex meal.

Others have consumed salt sandwiches, uncooked meats, frozen food, even, believe it or not, buttered cigarettes. Yikes!

#27. Possibly a better alternative to that is a condition known as "Exploding Head Syndrome."

These individuals may be on the verge of falling asleep when suddenly they hear a loud explosion, the sound of gunfire, or powerful thunder. To put it bluntly, they become frightened, especially if there are light flashes along with the noise. It's not dangerous, which is good news. Nobody truly understands why it occurs. It could be brought on by ear issues, nerve malfunction, a little seizure, or just everyday stress.

#26. The CDC reports that thousands of fatal crashes in the US alone in recent years occurred because someone fell asleep behind the wheel or very close to it.

Driving when feeling sleepy can result in accidents. Although the statistics vary depending on the source you read, everyone agrees that it is not a good idea to drive while extremely fatigued.

One survey found that 37% of respondents had, at some point in their lives, slept off behind the wheel.

#25. Is taking a nap healthy?

In order to determine whether napping enhanced the performance of its pilots, NASA was interested in learning this. According to the EPA, the recommended nap time is 26 minutes.

Stress levels can be lowered and alertness improved. In light of this, you should find a comfortable area to snooze if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to drive a long distance or perform a task that is extremely vital.

This might help you perform better and maintain focus.

#24. It's a misconception that you can catch up on sleep, claim some researchers.

Some people may believe that if they just get a few hours of sleep on Monday and Tuesday, they will make up for it later in the week. According to Harvard Medical School, this is untrue. Its research showed that those who frequently have restless nights will always experience negative effects in the long run.

#23. Regular exercise improves the quality and duration of your sleep.

But why, you might ask? According to scientists, exercising releases endorphins in our brains, which can relieve stress and melancholy. In fact, studies have shown that when persons suffering from insomnia exercised for four months, they slept better and felt less worried overall.

The problem was that good sleep did not come easily. Participants were required to put up some effort.

#22. Considering that nearly half of all Americans favor sleeping in the fetal position, it's safe to assume that we take pride in our time spent lounging in the womb.

After sleeping on one's stomach, the next most common sleeping position is on one's back. Some folks even switch between sleeping on their side, their back, and their stomach.

Some studies have found that sleeping on your back is the healthiest option, though this may vary depending on a person's preexisting conditions.

#21. As you'll see, the fact that the average person has between four and six dreams per night is problematic.

#20. Some of you will be aware of the terrifying possibility of having a dream in which you believe you are actually awake.

A "false awakening" could occur if, for example, you woke up, went downstairs to grab some orange juice, and then realized something was wrong. Then, your heart may start to race and you may awake for real.

What's worse is that some folks have awoken to the sight of a stranger standing over them after a fright. Another dream within a dream, possibly followed by a real awakening. Multiple false awakenings have been likened to a Russian doll in one's dream.

That's terrifying.

#19. Some people can dream and know they are dreaming even though they don't wake up.

These dreams are called "lucid." You might even be able to give yourself skills in these dreams, like the guy who says that when he is being chased in a nightmare, he just has to decide to run backwards and he takes off like a rocket.

Why do we dream in the first place? It's likely because a part of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is partly turned on during sleep when it usually isn't. This part of the brain is in charge of planning, reasoning, working memory, and thinking about more than one idea at a time. In a lucid dream, the person becomes aware enough to realize they are dreaming, but not enough to wake up. At least, that's one idea.

#18. So, the people of which country sleep the best?

We found some information that shows that, on average, people in New Zeal and sleep the most hours. The Netherlands, Finland, Britain, and Australia weren't too far behind, and the U.S. was somewhere in the middle. Japan was the worst at sleeping, then South Korea, and then Saudi Arabia.

#17. The National Sleep Foundation says that only 8% of Americans sleep completely naked, but that a whopping 33% of British people do.

#16. There is no proof that eating cheese can make you have nightmares, but going to bed when you are full might change the way you sleep.

As your body digests the food, it can make you antsy, so you might wake up more during REM sleep.

#15. People who sleep with their eyes open at night are said to have nocturnal lagophthalmos.

It just means that they can't close their eyelids while they sleep. Some people sleep with their eyes wide open, while others only have one eye open. Since they're asleep, they don't know they're doing it, but it looks pretty weird to other people.

There are other reasons why someone might sleep with their eyes open, most of which have to do with disease, trauma, or autoimmune diseases.

#14. Gregory said that he was kicked off a US Airways trip in 2010 because he was sleeping with his eyes open.

He fell asleep before the plane even took off. When a member of the cabin crew saw him sleeping with his eyes open, she thought he was sick and asked if anyone on board could help.

On the plane, there was a nurse, but she didn't know why anyone would sleep with their eyes open. She had never heard of nighttime lagophthalmos before. Machon told her that he often slept this way, but in the end, the crew decided he wasn't fit to fly.

He wasn't happy at all about this. Ok, here are the thirteen best. Now we're going to tell you some very strange things.

#13. You are unable to sneeze while you are asleep.

#12. Research has shown that people sleep less well during full moons.

Although the reason why is unclear, the moon's light may be the simple explanation. But that doesn't appear to be the case since the people who were being observed by Swiss researchers while they slept during a full moon were essentially kept in the dark. Since they were unaware of the purpose of the experiment, they were also kept in the dark metaphorically.

The researchers discovered that participants slept for shorter periods of time overall and in deep sleep on average when the moon was full. They also had a harder time falling asleep.

Some researchers contend that humans are cyclically tuned to the moon, which explains how the moon's fullness affects our sleep. More research has been conducted, with mixed results. One study found that children slept longer during a full moon, whereas another found that adults slept less.

#11. When the British were leading the Industrial Revolution, a new job was created to ensure that people arrived on time at the factories.

This was referred to as a knocker-upper. Some guy would come around to workers' houses and knock on their doors or windows, or use a pea-shooter to hit the higher level widows, for a few pennies a week. Author Charles Dickens wrote about this employment in the nineteenth century, yet knocker uppers were still there in the 1970s.

Although the first personal alarm clock was invented in 1787, we imagine that not everyone in Britain's industrial cities had one.

#10. Things can get out of hand if you wake up someone who is having sleep terrors or night terrors.

These are terrifying nightmares. Fortunately, only about 1% of adults experience regular night terrors, and while someone may thrash around or scream, the person next to them is usually unharmed.

#9. The National Sleep Foundation recommends washing your pillow at least once every six months and replacing it every year or two.

The culprit are dust mites. They have the potential to aggravate allergies and impede breathing.

#8. Another factor that seriously interferes with getting a good night's sleep is having a baby.

According to reports, parents will lose 400–750 hours of sleep as a result of welcoming a new family member into the home.

#7. Many people may experience restless nights due to significant world events.

This effect may last for several months after a major event, as many people discovered during the coronavirus pandemic. The events of September 11, 2001, the Challenger space shuttle disaster, and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster also caused a lot of people to lose sleep.

Even though it's good to know what's going on in the world, it's possible to get too much news. Sometimes you have to stop listening to things and just be there.

#6. When you are under a lot of stress, the hormone corticosteroid can make your defense system less effective.

When a person is stressed, they may sleep less, and then the next day, because they didn't get enough sleep, they deal with worry worse. Then, they might sit in front of the TV and watch news that sounds like the end of the world. This causes stress, which makes it hard to sleep, which keeps the cycle going.

#5. Going to bed and falling asleep is scary for some people. This is called Somniphobia.

One person who had it in the UK said, "I would stay up late and listen to my mom snore just to make sure she was still alive. I was afraid that if I went to sleep, something bad would happen while I was asleep, and I wouldn't be able to help.

Some of these people may be afraid that they won't be able to control what happens to them while they're asleep, or they may worry about what could happen while they're out. Some people who have this fear say it's because they've had night terrors or episodes of sleepwalking. For others, it's because of a stressful event in the past.

Ok, now we're almost done...But there's so much more to say about sleep.

#4. Although 5 to 7 million children in the United States wet the bed, by the age of ten, only about 2 to 3 percent of them do.

According to one survey, one in every fifty teenagers in the United States wets the bed. So, why do some people wet their beds in the first place?

It could be a combination of factors, such as the child's smaller-than-average bladder or the fact that both of his parents were bedwetters. It could possibly be because they have lower-than-average quantities of the hormone vasopressin, or because they sleep for too long.

Stress and illnesses can also have a role.

#3. According to experts, counting sheep as a method of falling asleep is ineffective.

#2. Some research suggests that if you get enough sleep on a regular basis, you may be able to manage pain better.

In those studies, the scientists allowed participants to sleep a certain number of hours. When they were later tested to see how they dealt with pain, the people who had slept more seemed to feel less, so much so it was as if they had taken codeine

#1. Lastly, we’ll tell you about the horror of something called “fatal insomnia”.

This is a rare disease, thank God, which affects the brain.

It happens because of a tiny genetic mutation in the brain, but that mutation in time will mean the sufferer will find it very hard to sleep. The insomnia will get worse and worse and this will lead to hallucinations, delirium and finally death. It might take many years for the person to show any symptoms, but once they do there is no going back.

Over a period of months the person will suffer from panic attacks, which will lead to paranoia, and then hallucinations will occur. Next will come weight loss and finally when the patient hasn’t slept for a long time, they will become unresponsive.

It could happen when the person is as young as 18 or it might not happen until they’re in their 60s. There’s no cure for this nasty disease, and even the strongest sleeping pills or other sedatives don’t seem to help.

It’s just one long, agonizing nightmare, so we can be glad that only around 40 families have been known to carry this gene. Now you really need to watch, “50 Surprising Facts About Space You Didn't Know”.

Or

“50 Insane Facts About the Titanic You Didn't Know.”