For centuries mankind has been intrigued by the mysteries surrounding sleep, and whilst we spend a third of our lives asleep, it is only within the last 25 years or so, that some of the answers to our questions have become clearer. There remains great debate regarding many aspects of this state of our existence that most of us simply take for granted.

Dreams, sleeping disorders, patterns of sleep and more, are all subjects that have spawned vast research and countless reports and articles. As a teaser, we include here a few interesting and thought provoking facts and figures surrounding this most fascinating subject….

• In recent years, one of the most persistent sleep distracters is the presence and lure of around the clock internet!
• As an age group, 18-24 year olds suffer more than adults with impaired performance when sleep deprived.
• Studies suggest that women require up to an hours more sleep than men and that deprivation may be one reason why they are more susceptible to depression.
• Teenagers require as much sleep as smaller children (10hrs) whilst those over 65 the least (6-7hrs), For the rest of us 8 hours is optimal.
• Snoring only occurs during periods of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
• Ducks and dolphins at risk of attack, balance sleep and survival by keeping one half of the brain awake.
• An evening spent on the wine will help us get to sleep, but it is likely to be a light dreamless, and ultimately, less restorative slumber.
• To drop off we must first cool off. Body temperature and the brains sleep/wake cycle are closely linked. That’s why hot summer nights can cause restless sleep
• Even tiny luminous rays from an alarm clock can be enough to disrupt the sleep cycle, interfering with sleep chemicals even though we may not fully awake.
• In insomnia following bereavement, sleeping pills may disrupt the grieving process.
• Our natural alarm clock which enables us to wake up more or less whenever we want to, is caused by a burst of the stress hormone, adrenocorticotropin.
• Dreams may not serve any purpose at all, but be merely a meaningless by-product of two evolutionary adaptations – sleep and consciousness.
• However, some scientists believe we dream to fix experiences into long-term memory, that is, we dream about things worth remembering. Others think that we dream about things worth forgetting in order to eliminate overlapping memories that might otherwise clog up our brain.
• Anything less than 5 minutes to fall asleep is a strong indicator that we are sleep deprived. 10-15 minutes is the ideal time suggesting that we are tired enough to fall asleep deeply, but not so exhausted that we still feel sleepy by day.
• It can be impossible to tell if we are really awake without accurate medical supervision. It is possible to take catnaps with our eyes open!
• No one knows for sure if other species dream, but many have sleep cycles very similar to our own.
• When we are sleeping deeply, our heart rate and blood pressure are at their lowest levels.
• Cats sleep on average for 18 hours a day. A Giraffe for little more than 20 minutes!
• We dream about falling because of our sense of balance shifting from laying down in the real world to being mobile in our dreams. These are particularly common when we begin to drift off to sleep.

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Sleeping Angel image source –  cdkenterprises.com

Tags: Original Bedstead Company, Sleep - Facts & Fiction

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 10:54 am and is filed under All About Sleep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.