Sleep Facts

One of the most commonly known sleep facts is that people spent approximately a third of their lives asleep. That means that if you live to be 75 years old, you’ve spent about 25 of those years sleep! Here are some other interesting sleep facts that might just surprise you:

Fun Facts About Sleep

• It’s impossible to tell if someone is really awake without performing a medical analysis because some people can nap with their eyes open without knowing it.
• If it takes you less than five minutes to fall asleep at night it’s a sign that you’re sleep deprived. Ideally, it should take between 10 and 15 minutes to fall asleep.
• When we dream while in REM sleep, the dream is usually bizarre, while dreams had while in non-REM sleep are more repetitive with less imagery.
• It was once thought that dreams only happen in deep REM sleep, but now it’s believed that there’s not a single moment during sleep when we’re not dreaming.
• In 1998, a sleep study showed that by shining a bright light on the back of an individual’s knees can reset their brain’s sleep/wake clock, although why this is has yet to be explained.
• Humans sleep about three hours less per night than other primates, like monkeys, chimps and baboons, all of which sleep ten hours per night.
• According to a Canadian study, fewer auto accidents occur after the clocks are set back an hour for daylight savings time.
• Studies show that during the first year after having a new baby, parents will lose on average between 400 and 750 hours of sleep.
• Staying awake for 17 hours straight will lead to a decrease in performance comparable with having a blood alcohol level of 0.05%.
• Snoring occurs only when someone is in non-REM sleep.
• Much of what we know about sleep, we’ve only learned over the last 25 years.

Disclaimer: These statements and products are not intended to diagnose, treat and cure or prevent disease. Always consult your physician regarding any sleeping disorders.