Sleep is one of the most enjoyable activities in our lives and is necessary for the body's health. During sleep, cells regenerate, the brain recharges and the body releases important hormones.
And when it comes to dreams... that is not something modern science can fully understand or explains. It is an extremely complex and intriguing subject.
Here Are 10 Interesting Facts About Sleep & Dreams
1. The time needed for sleep depends on age: babies need 16 hours of sleep, young people aged 3 to 18 need 10 hours, people aged 19 to 55 need 8 hours, and people over 55 need 6 hours of sleep a night.
2. It's normal to dream. People who don't dream generally have personality disorders.
3. 5 minutes after waking up you won't remember 50% of your dreams, and after 10 minutes, 90% of them are forgotten for good.
4. It has been thought that dreams only occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) phase of sleep, but dreams are also present during the other phases of sleep, albeit to a lesser extent.
Dreams that occur during the REM phase of sleep are characterized by outlandish and curious scenarios, but those that occur during the other phases of sleep are repetitive dreams with little imagination (such as obsessive thoughts of dropping an object somewhere).
5. You probably didn't know this, but not everyone dreams in colors. 12% of people dream in black and white, and the rest of people have "technicolor" dreams. In the past, this percentage (12%) was considerably higher, but with the advent of color television, it has dropped dramatically.
6. We may dream about people we have already seen, whether we remember them or not.
7. How long can you survive without sleep? If the body is deprived of food, it is possible to stay alive for 2 weeks, but after only 13 days without sleep, "eternal sleep" follows. The record for the longest period without sleep was 18 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes. The record holder (Randy Gardner) suffered from hallucinations, paranoia, blurred vision, slurred speech and memory, and difficulty concentrating.
8. 60% of the men over 50 years old snore alternately with apnea. In general, men who snore during sleep are overweight and smokers. The highest sound level ever recorded for snoring was 90 decibels.
9. Insomnia is a very common problem among the population today, with 60% of females affected. According to studies, the most affected categories are teachers, housewives, managers, and civil servants, 78, 73, 69, and 67% respectively.
10. Among sleep disorders, parasomnias are the most common category.
Sleepwalking, bruxism, and many other sleep disorders fall into this category: what you do, say, or feel during a parasomnia disappears when you wake up, dissolving without a trace. It seems that many serious crimes are committed in the state of parasomnia.