Did you know about these facts already?
Sleeping isn’t just necessary; it’s also a hobby for a lot of people. We love sleeping in past 10 am during the weekends. Yet we don’t really know all that much about sleep. Perhaps that’s not so strange since we’re not actually aware of it when we’re doing it. These five surprising facts about sleep and dreams will probably be new to you, too!
How many hours do you sleep a night?
1. The strangers in your dreams aren’t strangers at all
Although it might seem like the people you’re encountering in your dreams are complete strangers, you’ve seen them all before. We know this because your brain isn’t capable of thinking of completely new faces. Perhaps you passed someone in the street and you only threw a quick glance at them. You probably didn’t even remember it, because your brain gets rid of this useless information right away. However, the memory does stick in your subconscious. When your brain is processing all of the information of the day, the ‘stranger’ can come back in your dream.
2. Quality is at least as important as quantity
There are nights when you’ve slept a solid eight hours and you still feel very tired in the morning. This can be frustrating, but it is important to remember that the quality of your sleep is at least as important as the quantity. You might have slept for quite a few hours, but if your sleep is constantly disrupted, you won’t feel well-rested the next morning. The natural rhythm of sleep consists of four stages: falling asleep, light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. If these stages are disrupted, you don’t sleep very well.
3. Colour versus black and white
Do you dream in colour or in black and white? You probably didn’t know it, but both are possible! About 12 per cent of people has black and white dreams. Fun fact: before colour television was introduced, 75 per cent of people dreamed in black and white! This shows that the images we see on a daily basis influence the way we experience our dreams.
Go to the next page for the last two facts about dreams and sleep!
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