29 Facts About Sleep That You Will Find Surprising

29 Facts About Sleep That You Will Find Surprising

1. The Human Mammal

Humans are the only mammals that willingly delay their sleep.

2. Exercise Equals Good Sleep

In general, exercising regularly makes it easier to fall asleep and contributes to sounder sleep. However, exercising sporadically or right before going to bed will make falling asleep more difficult.

3. Sleeping With Your Eyes Open

People can take cat naps with their eyes open without even being aware of it.

4. 25 Years Wasted

Humans spend a third of their life sleeping. That’s about 25 years.

5. Parents Forget About Sleep

Parents of new babies miss out on 6 months worth of sleep in the first 2 years of their child’s life.

6. World Record For Sleep

The record for the longest period without sleep is 11 days.

7. Bright Light On Your Knees

An experiment in 1998 found that a bright light shone on the backs of human knees can reset the brain’s sleep-wake clock.

8. Is Your Sleeping Habits Killing You?

Sleeping less than 7 hours each night reduces your life expectancy.

9. Dolphin's Unique Sleeping Patterns

Only one half of a dolphin’s brain goes to sleep at a time.

10. How Deaf People Sign?

Some deaf people make sign language in their sleep.

11. Not Getting Rest Can Cause You To Gain Weight

Lack of sleep can cause weight gain of 2 pounds in under a week.

12. My Great Great Great Great Great Grand Pappy Was A Knocker-Up

Before alarm clocks were invented, there were “knocker-ups” who went tapping on client’s windows with long sticks until they were awake.

13. Bet You Didn't Know This Fact

A snail can sleep for 3 years.

14. Sneezing While Sleeping

It’s impossible to sneeze while sleeping.

15. Can You Survive Longer?

Most people can survive for up to 2 months without eating. But people can only live up to 11 days without sleeping.

16. This Is Awesome!

Sleeping on the job is acceptable in Japan, as it’s viewed as exhaustion from working hard.

17. That Is Sweet

Sea otters hold hands when they sleep so they don’t drift away from each other.

18. Sleeping During The New Moon

 

According to a new study, people experience better sleep during the new moon and worse sleep during a full moon.

19. Strange Way Of Sleeping

Many Tibetan Monks sleep upright.

20. Sleeping Pilots

Half of the pilots surveyed in the UK admitted to having fallen asleep while flying a passenger plane.

21. Cats Sleep A Lot

Cats sleep for 70% of their lives.

22. Good News For Students

According to a new study, later school start times improves sleep and daytime functioning in adolescents.

23. Just Like Most Presidents

In 1849, David Atchison became president of the united states for just one day, and he spent most of the day sleeping.

24. What If You Do Both?

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

25. Repeated Nightmares Could Be A Sign Of Bad Health

The occurrence of nightmares could be due to heart conditions, migraine, sleep deprivation and beta blockers.

26. Women Do It More

Women experience significantly more nightmares than men and have more emotional dreams, a research found.

27. Why Babies Sleep So Much?

A baby’s brain can use up to 50% of the total glucose supply, which may help explain why babies need so much sleep.

28. What A Horrible Way To Live?

During WW1, a Hungarian man was shot in the frontal lobe, making it impossible for him to fall asleep. He continued to live a full, sleepless life.

29. The Sleeping Giraffes

Giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period.