| Adults need between 7 and 9 hours sleep per night |
Amount |
| Former PM Margaret Thatcher claimed to need only 4 hours sleep a night |
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| The average person takes about 15 minutes to fall asleep |
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| Women tend to need more sleep than men |
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| Newborn babies sleep for between 14 to 17 hours a day |
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| Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder |
Disorders |
| Sleep apnoea is a disorder that stops you from breathing as you sleep |
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| Narcolepsy is a disorder which sends people to sleep at almost any time |
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| Restless legs syndrome causes people to move their legs during sleep |
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| Parasomnias are a group of disorders which cause unpleasant effects in sleep |
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| We spend about 2 hours dreaming every night |
Dreams |
| We forget almost all our dreams soon after we wake |
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| We can't be sure if animals dream but it seems likely that they do |
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| "Lucid" dreams are ones you can control. Not many of us can do this |
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| Some blind people, even if blind from birth, dream in pictures |
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| The technical name for sleepwalking is somnambulism |
Somnambulism |
| Most of us have sleepwalked at some point |
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| Contrary to popular belief it is not dangerous to wake a sleepwalker |
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| Sleepwalking tends to run in families |
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| The only danger in sleepwalking is the potential for accidents |
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| Sleeping longer is not necessarily a good thing |
Myths |
| Older people do not need less sleep than young adults |
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| Our brains do not shut down when we are asleep |
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| Sleeping in at the weekend does not make up for lost sleep |
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| Daytime naps are a good idea if you are feeling tired |
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| Before the Industrial Revolution we had 2 sleeps per night |
History |
| Descartes believed that sleep was hydraulic |
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| The Ancient Greeks thought that sleep was caused by our blood |
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| They also slept in temples to receive messages from the gods |
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| In the middle ages it was thought dreams came from either God or Satan |
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| The most common nightmares involve physical aggression |
Nightmares |
| Sadness, confusion and guilt are more common than fear in nightmares |
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| Most of us have occasional nightmares. Some of us have them regularly |
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| Eating cheese before bed will not give you nightmares |
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| The word "nightmare" comes from Old English "mare", meaning a demon |
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| Scientists still don't know why we need to sleep |
Science |
| The longest time anyone has gone without sleep is 11 days |
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| If you struggle to get out of bed in the morning you may have dysania |
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| Almost half of us sleep in the foetal position |
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| 12% of people dream entirely in black and white |
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| Poor sleep is linked to higher body weight |
Health |
| Poor sleepers have a greater risk of heart disease and strokes |
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| Poor sleep is also linked to diabetes |
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| Lack of sleep can be caused by and can cause depression |
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| Our immune systems are weakened if we do not get enough sleep |
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| The Chernobyl disaster is thought to have been caused by sleep deprivation |
Accidents |
| The Challenger space shuttle disaster involved staff who had 2 hours sleep |
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| Sleepwalking has been used as a defence in murder trials |
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| A German climbed out of a window and fell 7 storeys while sleepwalking |
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| An American man shot himself while he was asleep! |
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