We don’t really mind if this page puts you to sleep, here are 16 sleep facts you should know. (Nighty night.)
(1)
If it takes you less than five minutes to fall asleep, it probably means you’re sleep deprived. Healthy sleepers need between 10 and 15 minutes to doze off.
(2)
Researchers at Oxford University concluded that counting sheep may actually keep you awake. Why? Counting sheep is so boring that the mind brings other, more interesting thoughts to the surface just to keep itself occupied.
(3)
Elephants sleep standing up when they’re not dreaming, but lie down when they enter REM sleep.
(4)
Every year, more than 100,000 U.S. drivers crash their cars because they fall asleep at the wheel.
(5)
Cramming for a test? You’ll recall the information better if you review it once and get a good night’s sleep than if you stay up all night studying.
(6)
Your brain is more active when you’re dreaming than it is when you’re awake.
(7)
Most primates sleep an average of 10 hours per night; humans average only 7. But that’s a recent development. Until the turn of the 20th century, humans slept for 10 hours, too. Who’s to blame? Thomas Edison. The invention of the light bulb turned us into a society of night owls.
(8)
Having trouble falling sleep? Turn off all the lights or get some eyeshades. You need melatonin to feel drowsy, and melatonin production slows down when ambient light passes through the eyelids.
(9)
Certain scents can help you fall asleep. According to a recent study, the most effective aroma is jasmine.
(10)
If you want to remember your dreams, write them down as soon as you wake up. After five minutes, 50% of the dream fades from memory; after 10 minutes, 90% is gone.
(11)
If you’re average, you’ll spend more than six years of your life dreaming.
(12)
Your body is most ready for sleep during predawn hours and right after lunch, during the afternoon “siesta” time. Consequently, these are the two most dangerous times to operate heavy machinery.
(13)
New parents will lose 400 to 750 hours of sleep in their baby’s first year.
(14)
Want the best night’s sleep possible? To sleep like a baby, literally? Try the fetal position.It provides the body with optimum blood circulation for a healthy sleeping session.
(15)
Everyone experiences “microsleep.” It occurs when you are straining to stay awake at a meeting or on a long trip. Your eyes may remain open, but all outside stimuli will go unnoticed for anywhere from one second to a few minutes.
(16)
We are programmed to sleep at night, thanks to our circadian rhythms—physiological cycles that follow a daily pattern. No matter how long someone works the night shift, their body will never fully adapt.
