# Resources > Education Center >  >  20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Sleep

## Jackson1610

I read this on msn, and i thought it was random but at the same time interesting. so here it is.
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*20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Sleep*
By Jason Stahl
Provided by Discover Magazine

The official world record for staying awake, possible killers lurking in our mattresses, a continent's war against naps and more 




*1.* Chronic snoring can be treated by uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, a surgical procedure that tightens the tissues of the soft palate and throat. Possible side effects include changes in voice frequency. 


*2.* Another option involves injecting the palate with a chemical to harden the soft tissue. This is called a snoroplasty, derived from the Greek word "plastos," meaning "molded," and somewhat lamely from the English word snore, meaning "snore." 


*3.* Baaaad idea: A 2002 study by Oxford University researchers concluded, brilliantly, that the traditional practice of counting sheep is an ineffective cure for insomnia. The mental activity is so boring that other problems and concerns inevitably surface. 


*4.* Mattresses have an average life span of eight to 10 years. They grow some nasty stuff in that time; one study links mattress bacteria to sudden infant death syndrome. 


*5.* An adult bed bug can survive up to one year without feeding. 



*6.* In 2004, Americans filled more than 35 million prescriptions for sleeping pills. The number of adults aged 20 to 44 taking pills to help them fall asleep has doubled in the last four years. 


*7.* More than 100,000 car crashes in the United States each year result from drowsiness. Drivers talking on cell phones increase the rate by 6 percent, so don't call someone if you get tired. 


*8.* Your alarm is set for 6 a.m. -- why do you wake up at 5:59 a.m.? The body's internal alarm clock, which enables some people to wake up naturally at the time they desire, is triggered by the stress hormone adrenocorticotropin. The levels of this hormone begin to rise an hour or two before an expected wake-up call, to prepare the body gradually for the stress of waking up. 


*9.* A six-year study of a million adults showed that people who get only six to seven hours of sleep a night have a lower death rate than those who get eight hours. Maybe it's those late nights watching QVC. 


*10.* In 1964, 17-year-old Randy Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours and 12 minutes, the officially recognized world record. He then slept for 15 hours -- not a record, but not bad. 


*11.* Let's sleep on it first: In a gesture of integration with the European Union, Spain has launched a campaign to eliminate the tradition of siestas, or afternoon naps. 


*12.* Thanks in part to their afternoon naps, Spaniards sleep an average of 40 minutes less per night than other Europeans. Spain also has the highest rate of workplace accidents in the EU and the third lowest productivity rate. 


*13.* Who knew it was that easy? A Muslim couple in India is being forced to split up after the husband uttered the word "talaq," the Arabic word for divorce, three times in his sleep. According to Muslim law, the "triple talaq" is an actual divorce. 


*14.* The idea that it is dangerous to wake a sleepwalker is a myth. Given the things sleepwalkers get up to do, like climb roofs and fix insanely large sandwiches, it is probably more risky _not_ to wake them. 


*15.* Whales and dolphins can literally fall half asleep. Their brain hemispheres alternate sleeping, so the animals can continue to surface and breathe. 



*16.* Dreaming is related to bursts of electrical activity that blow through the brain stem every 90 minutes during REM sleep. Over a lifetime, an average person spends more than six years dreaming, clocking more than 136,000 dreams in all. 


*17.* But nobody knows why we dream. 


*18.* Hey, be glad she doesn't have a telethon: More than 5 million American children suffer from nocturnal enuresis, better known as bed wetting. Actress Suzanne Somers used to be one of them, according to her autobiography. 


*19.* Somniphobia is the fear of sleep. 


*20.* So far, there are no known celebrity somniphobes.

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## The Cusp

21. Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead dust mites and their droppings.

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## capoopy

> 21. Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead dust mites and their droppings.



0.0
*Looks at pillow*

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## Soldier

Your alarm is set for 6 a.m. -- why do you wake up at 5:59 a.m.? The body's internal alarm clock, which enables some people to wake up naturally at the time they desire, is triggered by the stress hormone adrenocorticotropin. The levels of this hormone begin to rise an hour or two before an expected wake-up call, to prepare the body gradually for the stress of waking up. 




this has been confusing me for years thank you

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## Captain Frapo

Uhhhhhhhhhh, actually I knew all of these, and like only a million more.  :paranoid: 

Okay, not really, but informative nonetheless.

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## Higurashi

> 21. Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead dust mites and their droppings.







> 0.0
> *Looks at pillow*



Lol  ::content::

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## thefieldsofdawn

knew about 7 of there 
:3 cool none-the-less

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## stbalaji2u

well this thread is really very interesting to know.. BUt i like to know how we are forgetting our dreams very soon after we woke up? i tried to keep drams in mind but i failed :Sad:

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## wet_roof113

most of these are stupid (or worded stupidly) but Ive had my bed 14yrs so i am disgusted by bed-bug things and #21.

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## weeedoodle

> The idea that it is dangerous to wake a sleepwalker is a myth. Given the things sleepwalkers get up to do, like climb roofs and fix insanely large sandwiches, it is probably more risky not to wake them.




hahahah. It's funny.....cause they make big sandwiches..... hehehehe......

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## stbalaji2u

some of you might think these points are funny. But for me these are usefull in some way, so don't make fun guys. :wink2:

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## Giant Jack

> 21. Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead dust mites and their droppings.



+1 thing i never wanted to know. :l

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## Massacre

Anyone else think that a half dust mite half pillow creature eating all those who lay their heads on it would be a good idea for a Sci Fi movie??

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## nzguy

> 21. Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead dust mites and their droppings.



I've decided I'm going pillow shopping tomorrow...

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## Paden

#21 - 
Disgusting man!  Reminds me of the video I watched in junior high science class that showed all the organisms living in the average American home.... Ugh, it makes me crawl.

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## Motumz

> 21. Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead dust mites and their droppings.



Asshole..  :Sad:

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## DeadDollKitty

> Anyone else think that a half dust mite half pillow creature eating all those who lay their heads on it would be a good idea for a Sci Fi movie??




haha! that would be awesome. make it into something like "the blob" was.

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## Zhaylin

hahaha... I can definitely see #21 as being a sci-fi show!

Thanks for the facts  :smiley:

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## Samael

@19: Z?

A lot of his characters seem to suffer from insomnia...

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## Astralization

> 21. Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead dust mites and their droppings.



=O ... I need to get a new pillow seeing as I have been using this one forever. The thing is, it's hard for me to adjust to another pillow as this one is comfortable, but nonetheless I need to get a fresh pillow.

Thanks for the facts.

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## Loaf

> 0.0
> *Looks at pillow*



I did that too, I am sitting on my bed.  :Big laugh:

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## Hidden

...Now I want a new pillow.

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## SpecialInterests

20 more things I need to think about before I actually fall asleep.

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## peteraugusts

I don't know about body's internal alarm clock, which enables some people to wake up naturally at the time they desire. The levels of this hormone begin to rise an hour or two before an expected wake-up call, to prepare the body gradually for the stress of waking up.Thanks to give infrormation but I never wake up at alarm time.can you tell why?

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## Hidden

@peteraugusts:  It probably varies from person to person.  I doubt everyone wakes up just before their alarm goes off.  Are you getting enough sleep?  That could make you sleep longer at night.

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## Crazydreamergurl

> *5.* An adult bed bug can survive up to one year without feeding.



I have a deadly fear of bead bugs.  :Eek:

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## Darkmatters

... Bead bugs? Do they string themselves together to form a necklace?   ::D:

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## juroara

Oh that's so cruel XD


17 is the best! All this bed and pillow talk. . . . do you know how often hotels have to legally wash the sheets? Not often enough  :Eek:

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## Crazydreamergurl

> do you know how often hotels have to legally wash the sheets? Not often enough



Gah. That's gross.

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## Hidden

I'm a bit afraid to ask this, but...  How often is it?

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## LRT

Once a year!  :Shades wink: 

JK. I don't know.

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## jeniferdesauza

Good habits for good sleep:
1. Exercise most days, even if its just to take a walk.
2. No caffeine after 7:00 p.m.
3. An hour before bedtime, avoid doing any kind of work that takes alert thinking. Addressing envelopesokay. Analyzing an articlenope.
4. Adjust your bedroom temperature to be slightly chilly.
5. Keep your bedroom dark. Studies show that even the tiny light from a digital alarm clock can disrupt a sleep cycle. We have about six devices in our room that glow bright green; its like sleeping in a mad scientists lab. The Big Man's new pet, a Roomba (yes, he loves his robot vacuum), gives out so much light that I have to cover it with a pillow before bed.
6. Keep the bedroom as tidy as possible. Its not restful to fight through chaos into bed.

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## Emkinator

>Snoring occurs only in non-REM sleep;
>Sleeping over nine hours per night (for an adult) is just as bad as sleeping 6 or less.
>If you lose two hours of sleep, you can impair your performance equal to a .05 blood-alcohol level

Very interesting.

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## Pascal

What I want to know is how my biological clock is actually accurate to the minute on many occasions. I mean, I will know that I have roughly 1 or 2 minutes to go before I have to wake up but no reason to have a clock that accurate. O_O

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## sleepingsheep

#21 
i too am in fair need of a new pillow :/ haven't had it too long but still that's gross!

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## daviddwillson

> knew about 7 of there 
> :3 cool none-the-less



well this thread is really very interesting to know.. BUt i like to know how we are forgetting our dreams very soon after we woke up? i tried to keep drams in mind but i failed

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## jackleaon

You asked why we dream. So answer according to me is: This shows creativity of our mind and also it depend on our unconscious mind the thought stuck in our in wants to come out then they found their way by the dreams.

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## Krake

> #21 
> i too am in fair need of a new pillow :/ haven't had it too long but still that's gross!



I've had my pillow for about 15 years. I got a new one last year, but I never use it myself and now it's rather my bf's pillow than mine. I much prefer the old one because it just feels perfect, I've never known another pillow that was equally soft and firm in texture at the same time. I positively hate having to sleep on other pillows.
I wonder if it's those dead dust mites and their droppings inside that gives my pillow its awesome texture. If it is, I probably have to thank those mites for shitting and dying inside my pillow  :tongue2: 

Call me gross, I don't mind as long as my pillow is comfy  :smiley:

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## Remorseless

Some believe dreams exist to filter and sort our memories into the useful and redundant categories. People who study before going to sleep have time to sort that information better in their minds.

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## Mellie

That stuff about the bed and pillows! Far outtt xP
Some of these make me more motivated to sleep earlier!

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## Raspberry

I already knew number 21. It was in my school planner facts page. It still grosses me out though  :Eek:

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## RaZZZ

Here's a snoring cure, roll that person on their side. Most people's airways are not obstructed on their sides. I've heard of people stitching tennis balls in the back of their PJ's between their shoulder blades. This way when they are sleeping, if they roll on their backs, the uncomfortableness will make them roll back onto their sides without waking them up.

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## Raspberry

> Here's a snoring cure, roll that person on their side. Most people's airways are not obstructed on their sides. I've heard of people stitching tennis balls in the back of their PJ's between their shoulder blades. This way when they are sleeping, if they roll on their backs, the uncomfortableness will make them roll back onto their sides without waking them up.



My friend snores SO loudly. When I stay at hers I sleep in a different room... I'll tell her this and see if it works  ::D:  Last time I looked over her when she was sleeping she was on her back with her mouth hanging open, so I'll see what it's like on her side.

Experiments  ::evil::

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## dakotahnok

*





 Originally Posted by Emkinator


>Snoring occurs only in non-REM sleep;
>Sleeping over nine hours per night (for an adult) is just as bad as sleeping 6 or less.
>If you lose two hours of sleep, you can impair your performance equal to a .05 blood-alcohol level

Very interesting.



Two out of three of these are false.*

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## mooseantlers

> Gah. That's gross.



Don't worry they legally have to every time the previous guest does.  :smiley: . (quieter voice) not that they always do

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## JussiKala

I used to have Somniphobia. Not anymore though. Went away when I became so tired that I was awaiting going to sleep the whole day. 5 hours a day ain't enough for someone who sleeps 16 hours a day on holidays.

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