10 Amazing Facts About Sleep That You Never Thought Were Possible

1. Anything less than five minutes to fall asleep at night means you’re sleep deprived. The ideal is between 10 and 15 minutes, meaning you’re still tired enough to sleep deeply, but not so exhausted you feel sleepy by day.

 

2. A new baby typically results in 400-750 hours lost sleep for parents in the first year.

 

3. Parasomnia is a term that refers to unnatural movements during your sleep. Some people have even committed crime due to parasomnia, including sleep driving and even murder.

 

4. Dysania is the state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning. We’ve all no doubt found it tricky getting out of bed every now and again, but those suffering from Dysania find it particularly difficult. It is most likely to be a form of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

 

5. The sensation of falling when half asleep and jerking yourself awake is called ‘hypnic jerks’. No-one is totally sure why hypnic jerks occur but they are deemed to be perfectly healthy. However, they may be increased by anxiety, caffeine or physical activity close to bedtime. They are more frequent in young people and decrease as we get older.

 

6. Within 5 minutes of waking up, 50% of your dream is forgotten

 

7. Pain tolerance is reduced by sleep deprivation. This study suggests that cutting a person’s sleep in half dramatically reduces pain threshold although it’s not 100% clear why.

 

8. Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety. When we don’t get adequate sleep, we accumulate a sleep debt that can be difficult to “pay back” if it becomes too big. The resulting sleep deprivation has been linked to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure, negative mood and behaviour, decreased productivity, and safety issues in the home, on the job, and on the road.

 

9. Sleeping on your front can aid digestion. Hands should apparently be positioned above the pillow so you’re in a ‘freefall’ position, whilst laying on your left side can apparently help reduce heartburn.

 

10. Sleep deprivation will kill you more quickly than food deprivation. Neither are good for you, obviously, but this article claims that sleep is actually more important than food in the short term.