8 Wow-Worthy Facts About Your Sleep
Sleep is a vital necessity for living a waking life rich in good health, well-being, and energy. This is a fact backed by science and one you likely have recognized in your own life, particularly if you have ever experienced the profound effects of sleep deprivation.
However, there are many other facts related to sleep that aren’t so evident in your everyday life and understanding of sleep. According to OSOTI, a blog dedicated to reporting on the extraordinary, here are eight of the most wow-worthy things you should know about sleep and all its mysterious, surprising, and weird wonders.
- Over the course of an average human life span, a person will spend approximately 25 total years sleeping and rejuvenating.
While this seems like a large amount of time to spend sleeping, good sleep is needed in order to live a healthy, happy lifestyle. Regularly getting enough rest will not only help improve the quality of your life, but may add years of good health and well-being to it as well.
- During the first two years of their child’s life, parents will experience sleep deprivation and lose approximately six months’ worth of healthy sleep hours.
Parents, particularly mothers, are at risk for extreme sleep deprivation in the early years of their baby’s life. The Mayo Clinic emphasizes the importance of parents getting enough rest, and encourages parents who are excessively weary or exhausted to consult a sleep professional to help them devise sleep schedules and habits conducive to getting more adequate rest.
- It is impossible to sneeze during your sleep.
According to Science Illustrated, the reason for this is twofold. First, when you are asleep, you are less likely to encounter dust or allergens that will signal sneezes. Second, during REM sleep cycles, the area of your brain that sends sneezing messages to your body are not activated.
- Many people communicate with spoken language while sleeping, which is known as sleep talking. Even people with hearing impairments or deafness communicate while slumbering, and will sometimes use sign language in their sleep.
According to The National Sleep Foundation, sleep talking can be caused by numerous reasons such as stress, genetics, or sleep deprivation. The same holds true for the hearing impaired, and the sleep language triggered by the same factors is sign language.
- If you regularly sleep less than the recommended seven to nine hours per night, your life expectancy can diminish.
The universal recommendation for adult sleep requirements each night is seven to nine hours. If you consistently sleep less than seven hours a night, you can put yourself and your health at risk.
- Sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain, at a rate of two pounds per week.
As you sleep, your body works to rejuvenate and regulate many important brain and body functions. According to WebMD, if you don’t get enough sleep each night, then production of hormones needed to properly monitor and control your metabolism can be impacted and cause you to gain weight. Additionally, if you are sleepy during the day, you are more likely to munch on more snacks and that can also contribute to weight gain.
- Most people find it more difficult to fall asleep when there is a full moon.
The cycles of the moon can have drastic impacts on your sleep. In general, most people struggle with falling asleep during a full moon, but sleep much more soundly when there is a new moon.
- Continuous sleep deprivation can cause extreme health issues, including death.
Sleep deprivation can contribute to poor health, disease, and obesity. In fact, if you are deprived of sleep for too long, it can actually result in death. If you are having trouble getting the sleep you need each night, then participating in a sleep study can identify the facts relevant to your sleeping troubles, and help you reclaim your rest.
