10 fascinating facts about sleep
Even though we spend one third of our lives in bed, there is still so much that we don’t know when it comes to snoozing—although one thing we do know is that we love it! So, we’ve delved deep to find out some of the most interesting facts about sleep…
1. whether you’re a night owl or a morning person is written in your DNA
Both morning and night people operate along different circadian rhythms and there’s nothing you can do to change this says neuroscientist Matthew Walker. Research found that around 30% of the population are morning types, 30% are evening types and the rest of us sit in the middle.
2. 88% of people dream in colour, with 12% dreaming entirely in black and white
However, only 15% of people dreamt in colour before colour TV was introduced. Fascinating!
3. your body has an internal alarm clock
Your body hates your alarm clock, it’s a stressful way of waking! So, as your body knows how long it has spent asleep, it does something amazing. Hormones begin to steadily alert you about an hour before a set wake-up time to gradually prepare you. This is why many of us often wake up just before our alarm, or annoyingly wake up super early when we have all the time to lie-in at the weekend!
4. within five minutes of waking, 50% of dreams are forgotten
And after 10 minutes, 90% of recollection is gone. Some people like to keep a sleep journal to write down their dreams as soon as they wake. Imagine how interesting this would be to read back through.
5. the record for the longest period without sleep is 11 days
This was set by Californian student Randy Gardner in 1964. However, he suffered from extreme sleep deprivation, so we definitely don’t recommend trying to beat this. We certainly love our beds way too much to even try to skip one night’s sleep!
6. deaf people often use sign language in their sleep
It’s the equivalent of sleep talking, and a widely reported phenomenon from people witnessing their deaf partner or child signing while they snooze.
7. those who are blind experience dreams involving other senses
Things such as emotion, sound and smell are involved in dreams, rather than sight. Interestingly, the timing of blindness in a person’s life can also impact what they dream about.
8. up to 15% of the population are sleepwalkers
Say the National Sleep Foundation. Sleepwalking is most likely to affect children between the ages of three and seven.
9. 41% of Brits sleep in the foetus position
Professor Chris Idzikowski, one of Britain’s leading sleep experts, says that there are six sleeping positions in total. These are the foetal, log, yearner, starfish, soldier and free-faller—aren’t these great names! Which one you prefer can actually tell a lot about your personality. Have a little Google of this to see what his research says about your sleeping position.
10. it should take you 10-15 minutes to fall asleep at night
If it takes you any less than this, you’re overtired and if it takes you any longer then you’re overstimulated.
One thing you’ll of course already know is how important sleep is to your health and wellbeing. It’s the time when your body recovers and repairs. With this in mind, set yourself up for the best night possible in the most comfortable sheets. Shop all of our beautiful, Organic and Fairtrade bedding.
