10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT SLEEP

Oh yeah, let's talk about sleep, some of us love it, some of us can't get enough of it and some of us don't have the time atall to get a proper good night rest not to talk of a nap. I've always been an advocate for sleep, it's benefits to the body, mind and the brain cannot be overemphasized.

Sleep has its wonderful benefits but yet again sleeping at the wrong time or sleeping for too long a time can have its detriments. Here are a few need to know facts about sleeping.

• Sleep is a brain cleanser: In my last article I spoke about sleeping more as a way of building a healthier brain. The brain works better when we sleep as sleeping can actually trigger changes in the brain to build better neuronal connections, solidifying memories and helping to strengthen communication between brain cells making for easier transfer of information from one region to another. One of the importance of sleep for the brain also is that it acts as a cleanser, ridding the brain of toxic waste proteins that accumulate during the day. So when you sleep properly you wake up with a stronger more efficient brain and mind.

• Having dreams during sleep is normal, infact those who do not dream atall during sleep tend to have personality disorders. Dreams occur mostly during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep which is the time where brain activity is high and can be likened to when one is awake and it can range from a few seconds to 30 minutes. It's also perfectly normal to not remember our dreams, as people only tend to remember their dreams if they are awakened during this REM stage. An average person dreams between 3 to 7 times during an 8 hour sleep.

• Sleep disruption is consequential: Here is a guideline on how much sleep our kids need at different stages of their lives.
  Newborns (0 to 3 months): 14 to 17 hours each day
  Infants (4 to 11 months): 12 to 15 hours
  Toddlers (1 to 2 years): 11 to 14 hours
  3- to 5-year-olds: 10 to 13 hours
  6- to 13-year-olds: Nine to 11 hours
  Teens (14 to 17 years): Eight to 10 hours
  Our growing children need certain hours of sleep daily and if they don't get them could develop behavioral issues at an older age such as alcohol consumption, hyperactivity, crankiness and irritability.

• Naps are just as awesome: A study from Georgetown University Medical Center showed that during a nap the right side of the brain, the side associated with creativity, was highly active, while the left stayed mostly quiet. Napping has recently been associated also with a 37% reduction in coronary mortality, possibly due to reduced cardiovascular stress mediated by daytime sleep, although, for those suffering from insomnia or depression, naps may aggravate already disrupted sleep-wake patterns.

• Humans spend ⅓ of their lives sleeping. You’ve likely heard this fact, but it’s worth mentioning again! If a man lives for about 90 years, he probably spent 30 years or more of his life sleeping, crazy right?!!! This just goes to show how important sleep is. Cats on the other hand have been known to sleep 70% of their lives off.

• Sleep deprivation will kill you faster than food deprivation. It takes upto 3 weeks of food deprivation to kill an average sized man but just 10 days without sleep whatsoever is enough to kill you. When applied slowly and systematically, sleep deprivation is said to be the single most effective form of coercion and torture. A 19th century Chinese merchant was said to have been sentenced to death for murdering his wife. They chose sleep deprivation as the method of execution as that would cause the maximum amount of suffering and would serve as the greatest deterrent to other potential murderers. He was said to have died on the 19th day, having suffered terribly.

• Getting more sleep will help your sex life: Sleep deprivation and reduced sleeping time have been linked many times with lower libido and less interest in sex. This has been known to affect both men and women.

• Humans are the only mammals that can willing delay sleep. Dolphins on the other hand fall half asleep as each side of their brains takes turns so they can come up for air.

• Hypnophobia is a thing: Hypnophobia is defined as an abnormal, persistent and unwarranted fear of sleep or being hypnotized. This phobia is surprisingly common and is sometimes known as somniphobia. Patients who suffer from somniphobia are literally afraid of sleeping most times for no specific reasons while other times are due to traumatic experiences that occurred in the bed room, or while asleep or in kids; a general fear of having nightmares.

• Yes, yawning is contagious: We think of yawning as a sign of being sleepy, but it’s also a signal for our bodies and brains to wake up, be alert, or come back to the moment; a kind of gentle course correction. And yes, we yawn when we’re bored, but we also yawn when we anticipate something happening. Seeing a person yawn can make you yawn, even reading about yawning can make you yawn, and yes, I just yawned, lol.

These are just a few of the many known facts and myths related to sleep. Feel free to drop yours in the comment section. Have a great day steemians.

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