Sleep is a very natural process. You spend 36% of your life sleeping. Going into that blissful state is what keeps a lot of people going through the day. You and your body both require those few hours of downtime to function optimally. However, how much do you know about this sleep that you spend a third of your life doing? This article lists 10 things about that deceptively simple sleep that will both amaze and alarm you.
12% Of the People Tend to Dream In Black And White
A study revealed that the shift of dreaming in color only happened after color TV was invented. Before that, a majority of people used to dream only in black or white, with only 15% of the total population dreaming in color. However, after color TV became the norm, the percentage of people dreaming in color rose to 88%.
11 Days Is the Record For Being Awake
A California student by the name Randy Gardner set the record in 1964 of not sleeping for 11 days. At the end of those 11 days, Randy Gardner experienced extreme sleep deprivation with episodes of hallucinations and intense fatigue. His vitals were seriously impaired, and he needed medical aid. Such an exercise is not recommended.
Deaf People Use Sign Language in Their Sleep
You must have heard of sleep talking. Chances are you have sleep talked at one point or another in your life. It is the same for deaf people. Instead of sleep talking, they use sign language to communicate in their sleep. So don’t be alarmed if you see a deaf person suddenly start using sign language when asleep.
15% Of the Entire Population Is Believed To Be Sleepwalkers
Sleepwalking is a behavioral sleep disorder. It causes people to walk while in a deep state of sleep. Formally known as somnambulism, sleepwalking is more common in children and adolescents than in adults. It is generally difficult to waken a person when they are sleepwalking. Also, they will mostly not remember their episode of sleepwalking and might appear confused or disoriented. However, it is a common misperception that you should never wake a sleepwalking person. You can and should wake up a person who is sleepwalking since they can unknowingly cause themselves and others harm in that state.
Sleep Deprivation Is More Harmful Than Food Deprivation
When they say that your sleep will kill you, it’s more like not sleeping will kill you. There is no study on humans, which conclusively links sleep deprivation with a fatality, but such a link was found in a study done on rats. However, sleep deprivation has the potential to cause fatality. This study claims that the effects of sleep deprivation in the short term are more harmful than the effects of food deprivation.
Blind People Dream About Sound, Smells, And Emotions Not Sight
It is a common misconception that blindness renders you unable to dream. Blind people dream. They just dream on a different platform involving senses other than sight. Also, the dreams depend upon the time of blindness. If the person became blind later on life, they could even dream about visual things, but a congenitally blind person will only be able to dream in other senses.
You Forget Your Dreams Within 5 Minutes of Being Awake
You might feel like you just remembered your dream before forgetting all about it just minutes after waking up. 90% of your recollection of the dream is gone after 5 minutes of being awake. This is because, generally, dreams are about repressed emotions that your brain wants to get rid of it quickly. The alternate reason is that your brain is much more active and engaged right after waking up and hence tends to forget your dream.
Sleep Deprivation Reduces Your Level of Pain Tolerance
The amount of pain you can bear is directly linked to the amount of sleep you get. Studies suggest that simply cutting down on your sleep by half will reduce your pain tolerance dramatically. However, more study needs to be conducted to understand the exact cause behind this co-relation.
Sleep Positions Are Directly Related to Your Personalities
Your personality affects the way you sleep. Studies have revealed that the way you sleep says a lot about the kind of person you are. People sleeping in a “fetal” position are more likely to appear tough on the outside but are sensitive in the core, whereas people sleeping on their backs, in the “soldier” position are more likely to be quiet and reserved with high expectations of themselves.
The Only Mammals That Delay Sleeping Are Humans
This is where you are forced to wonder if animals are better than humans in listening to their bodies. Humans are the only mammals on earth that willingly go against nature to delay sleeping and sometimes even go without sleeping altogether. This is because of the strong will power that humans possess and exert.
FAQ Section
What Is the Best Time to Go To Sleep?
People tend to get sleepy as the sun goes down. National Sleep Foundation recommends that you should try to snooze off between 8 at night to midnight. These are the optimal hours to catch up on sleep since they coincide with the natural biorhythm of the body. The exact time though, will depend upon the time you wake up in the morning.
How Many Hours Should You Sleep?
The number of hours that you need differs from person to person. Your sleep requirement is conditional to certain factors specific to you like age, gender, climate, physical exertion, etc. However, as a general recommendation, an average adult requires about 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily.
Why Do You Wake Up Around 3 AM?
You are waking up at 3 AM because that is when your sleep cycle shifts from deep sleep cycle to light sleep cycle. When you enter the light sleep cycle, also called the REM stage, your brain becomes more active. This sudden spike in brain activity causes you to wake up. This time of waking differs for person to person and depends on their particular sleep cycle schedule.
Is It Possible to Fall Asleep In 5 Minutes?
There is a very simple method of falling asleep in 5 minutes known as the “5-minute hack”. This involves the 478 exercises. Just take your breath in deeply for 4 seconds, now hold your breath for the next 7 seconds and release slowly over the next 8 seconds. Repeat this till you fall asleep.
Conclusion
Sleep is very interesting. There is still so much that has not been understood about sleep. It is one of those natural things that leave you floundering and amazed at the perfection with which Mother Nature works. Your body and every aspect of it is closely linked to the number of snoozes you get. So get started on giving your body that much needed rest.
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