sleepyhead fact 1…
- People can take cat naps with their eyes open without even being aware of it.
sleepyhead fact 2…
- The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska, the Challenger space shuttle disaster and the Chernobyl nuclear accident have all been attributed to human errors in which sleep- deprivation played a role.
sleepyhead fact 3…
- We are not sure if other species dream.
sleepyhead fact 4…
- Having trouble sleeping because of your new baby? You’re not alone. A new baby typically results in 400-750 hours lost sleep for parents in the first year
sleepyhead fact 5…
-Scientists learned about REM (rapid eye-movement) sleep in 1953. Part of the reason it took so long is because the scientists who conducted the study were concerned about wasting such a large amount of paper.
sleepyhead fact 6…
- British Ministry of Defense researchers have been able to reset soldiers’ body clocks so they can go without sleep for up to 36 hrs. Tiny optical fibers embedded in special spectacles project a ring of bright white light (with a spectrum identical to a sunrise) around the edge of soldiers’ retinas, fooling them into thinking they have just woken up. The system was first used on US pilots during the bombing of Kosovo.
sleepyhead fact 7…
- The National Roads and Motorists’ Association estimates fatigue plays a factor in one in six fatal accidents.
sleepyhead fact 8…
-Trouble falling asleep? The record for the longest period without sleep is 18 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes during a rocking chair marathon. The record holder reported paranoia, hallucinations, blurred vision, slurred speech and memory lapses.
sleepyhead fact 9…
- REM sleep doesn’t occur just once per night. REM sleep occurs in bursts totaling about 2 hours a night, typically starting roughly 90 minutes after falling asleep.
sleepyhead fact 10…
- Specific types of eye movements during REM sleep correspond to certain eye movements in dreams, suggesting that part of the dreaming process is similar to watching a movie.
sleepyhead fact 11…
- The “natural alarm clock” which enables some people to wake up more or less when they want to is caused by a burst of the stress hormone adrenocorticotropin. Researchers say this reflects an unconscious anticipation of the stress of waking up.
sleepyhead fact 12…
- Elephants lie down for REM sleep, and stand during non-REM sleep.
sleepyhead fact 13…
- There is a chance dreams don’t mean anything at all. They may simply be a byproduct of two evolutionary adaptations… sleep and consciousness.
sleepyhead fact 14…
- In 1998 scientists showed a bright light shone on the backs of human knees can reset the brain’s sleep-wake. To this day they still can’t explain it.
sleepyhead fact 15…
- 17 hours without sleep leads to a decrease in performance in humans equivalent to a blood alcohol-level of 0.05%