Everything You Wanted to Know about Sleep
You spend about one-third of your life sleeping, but in today’s busy world you probably don’t give much thought to this subject, so we did the research for you. Here are some very interesting facts about sleep that might surprise you.
1: Sleep is when you heal. It’s when muscles re-build and grow. The vitamins you consume to strengthen your immune system don’t actually perform their function while you’re awake, but rather when you’re asleep.
2: Scientific evidence suggests that you can give your memory a great boost if you take a power nap for just six minutes or longer.
3: Think you can get by on just a few hours of sleep each night? Think again. Sleep deprivation is directly related to reducing your ability to ward off pain.
4: It is estimated that about 15 per cent of the population are sleepwalkers, according to the National Sleep Foundation. It’s also a myth that you should never wake a sleepwalker; there is no inherent danger.
5: Within just five minutes of waking, you’ll forget half of the content of your dreams. After five more minutes, 90 per cent will be forgotten. Furthermore, fear is not the number-one emotion in dreams, but it’s sadness, followed by guilt and confusion.
6: Nighttime sleep is superior in quality to daytime sleep. Shift workers beware. Eight hours in the morning and afternoon are simply not as restful and rejuvenating as eight hours overnight.
7: In the long-term, getting only a few hours of sleep per night will catch up to you, both mentally and physically. Sleep deprivation will also cause premature aging as your skin quality deteriorates and your brain power – including the ability to perform simple math equations – evaporates.
8: 41 per cent of the population sleep in the fetal position. Scholars debate the specific meaning behind this, but it reveals behavioural commonality for nearly half the population.
9: The record for the longest time without sleep is eleven days, a feat performed by California student Randy Gardner in 1964. We strongly recommend avoiding even one night of sleeplessness, however, because many people have died as a result of several days without sleep. In this way, sleep is even more important than food.
10: Human beings are the only mammals who willingly delay sleep. Whatever the reason – often, it’s work or family – this phenomenon makes us unique since all other mammals always nod off at the onset of fatigue.
11: Social studies suggest that one in four married couples sleep in separate beds. For the most part, it’s about comfort and avoiding being awoken if your partner moves about or gets up. Sleeping apart in no way suggests a lack of intimacy or emotional bond.
12: Suffer from acid reflux or chronic heartburn? Try sleeping on your left side. Due to the construction of your stomach and esophagus, this sleeping style should prevent acidic contents from creeping back up toward your throat and help you avoid that nasty reflux taste.
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