Ah, sleep. One of the most marvelous and strangely mysterious things in the universe. We obviously love the slumber — we’re called Sleep Club, for god's sake — and our joy in life is sharing ways to get the best, most blissful and rewarding snooze you deserve.
The world of zzzzz’s has some rather interesting facts you may — or may not — already know, but it’s always nice to be reminded. As we prepare to enter National Sleep Month, we’d like to share 20 of our most fun and unusual “Did You Know…?” moments about sleep and dreaming that we thought you’d like to carry with you as you dim the lights and drift away.
Two-Thirds of a Cat’s Life is spent sleeping…
While we spend one-third of ours doing that. Wouldn’t it be AWESOME if one-third of our cats’ two-thirds coincided with OUR one-third so they AREN’T RUNNING ALL OVER OUR FACES WHILE WE SLEEP? Or maybe that’s just me.
People who are born blind tend to experience dreaming through emotion, sound, and smell rather than sight…
HOWEVER, visually impaired people may still see images in their dreams.
We dream every night…
Even if we don’t remember them.
Sneezing cannot happen while you sleep …
Although we can probably dream that we’re sneezing. Hmm…
You burn more calories sleeping than watching television…
While you’re snoozing, you could potentially lose up to a pound just from calories burned from exhaling.
In all the research about sleep, scientists still don’t know exactly why we do it…
They know we need it and they study our brain waves to see us do it, but the actual why still eludes. Fascinating.
Children have more nightmares than adults…
We may still get them when we grow up, but, yep, our little ones bear those more than we do.
Researchers also aren’t quite sure why we dream or what purpose it serves…
Although there is this interesting theory that dreaming is a sort of evolutionary thing. Our bodies get all paralyzed when we’re deep in our sleep and it may be a defense mechanism from back in the stone age and we played dead to fool our enemies. Could be why even though our bodies can’t really move while we’re blissfully snoozing, our minds remain active.
Your favorite sleeping position may say something about your personality…
Ah, yes. With sleep meaning so much to our well-being, not surprising how we do it reveals something about us.
We only dream about people we know or have seen, even in passing…
Family, friends, celebrities, world figures, someone we passed on the street or met when we were kids… we may not remember them, but our brain does.
During the 17th Century, we slept in two segments…
We’d snooze until the middle of the night, then get up for a couple of hours, read a book, pray, hang out with friends or family, then go back to bed.
Your body needs sleep more than it needs food…
Just as you’d die from thirst before you’d die from starvation in survival situations, sleep deprivation will take you down before lack of food.
Humans are the only mammals who choose to delay slumber…
Just as we’re the only mammals who walk upright, wear clothes for protection, and can control fire. Yay, Homo Sapien Team!
Dolphins and whales are the only mammals that do not fully sleep…
They do something called unihemispheric sleep, meaning half their brain stays awake at all times and they’ll switch sides throughout the day to make sure their entire brain gets rest. Baby whales and baby orcas actually stay completely awake for the first month or so of their lives.
Having strange dreams is normal…
Because that part of our brain that makes sense of things is shut down when we sleep.
If you can’t sleep because you are grieving — which is normal — sleeping pills can disrupt the process…
This, too, shall pass. Really.
About 15 percent of the world’s population walks in their sleep…
Where they’re all going is anyone’s guess.
Talking in your sleep is pretty common and at least 2 out of 3 people have done it at least once in their lifetime…
But those who do it on a regular basis are really only about 5 percent of adults and 50 percent of children.
Deaf people often sign in their sleep…
If most of us have talked while we’re dozing at one time or another, then that means ALL of us.
You don’t dream when you snore…
And vice-versa.
And now you know…
There’s a bunch more. Believe us. And we’ll share those with you throughout the year. A little knowledge can go a long way and we hope as you embark on National Sleep Month, this bit of “Did You Know…?” gives you something to learn more about.
Rest easy, everyone.
