Sweet Dreams: A guide to all things sleep

lifestyle

October 17, 2013

This article was published more than 2 years ago.

Est. Reading Time: 3 minutes

SLEEP SUPERSTITIONS

1. The Commanding Position principle of Feng Shui. Your bed must be as far from your door as possible. So, if you live in a small room and are unable to move into a dance studio, your “chee” will be right out of luck.

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2. If you cut your toenails before bed (that includes mani/pedis), your parents will face an unfortunate death before you see them again. Perhaps the person who founded this superstition had a morbid fear of toenail clippings in the bed. It’s gross, yes, but does it warrant parental death?! We think not. Better play it safe though.

3. Think your significant other is cheating on you? Where the swans at? If you think those two sentences are distinctly separated, you’re right. But according to this superstition, they may be more intertwined than we thought. Sewing a swan’s feather into your lover’s pillow is supposed to protect against infidelity. Probably because their sleep will be enhanced by a single extra feather though.

4. Cake underneath the pillow, see the man of your dreams. Apparently you can do a lot while you sleep to control relationships, including the start of one! Sleeping with a slice of wedding cake under your pillow will introduce you to your future husband in your dreams. At least now when you see him, you’ll have the least creepy ice-breaker to get this thang going!

5. Dreaming about teeth is not an invitation for the tooth fairy.In fact, you might need your tooth fairy as a cuddle buddy, because dreaming of teeth means someone is going to die. You won’t know who, but someone will die. This superstition doesn’t take into account the laws of population growth apparently. Regardless, tell your dream to your least favourite plant and it will die instead.

SLEEP DISORDERS

With the stressful season of midterms upon us, troubles with sleep are likely to creep into your habits. Decode your symptoms to see whether you’re simply stressed, sleep deprived or have a major problem on your hands.

Insomnia: Insomnia is a difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Someone can grow in and out of this disorder depending on stress, diet and changes to health.

Hypersomnia: Hypersomnia is defined as a constant state of sleepiness during the day, even after having rested at night. It can also refer to a prolonged sleeping time at night.

Somniloquy: the former name for sleep-talking

Somnambulism: the former name for sleep-walking

Sleep Apnea: This disorder is characterized by pauses in breathing while sleeping. Essentially extreme snoring, sleep apnea is diagnosed via an overnight sleeping test called a polysomnogram, or more simple, a “sleep study.” Characterized by sleep disturbances and excessive daytime sleepiness, a person affected can go an entire lifetime without being diagnosed.

Sleep Paralysis: Historically perceived as a “demonic visitation,” sleep paralysis is characterized by an inability to move when falling asleep or waking up. It is said to occur during the REM phases of sleep to prevent a person from physically acting on or reacting to their dreams.

SLEEP FACTS

- 2: the number of hours that REM sleep occupies per night. REM usually begins about 90 minutes after falling asleep.

- 10 %: the amount of snorers affected with sleep apnoea- a disorder which stops breathing up to 300 times a night and increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.

- Daylight Savings: the extra hour of sleep received when clocks are put back has been found to coincide with a decrease in the number of road accidents.

- If you do not fall back asleep within 15-20 minutes, you should get out of bed, go to another room and engage in a relaxing activity such as listening to music or reading. Return to bed when you feel sleepy and avoid watching the clock.

- 11 days: the longest someone has gone without sleep. For obvious reason, Guinness has stopped keeping record of voluntary sleep deprivation. Randy Gardner, the record holder, reported hallucinations, short-term memory loss and an inability to focus.

- After 17–19 hours without sleep, performance test results are comparable to those completed by a well over intoxicated person.

- Apparently, the idea of counting sheep to get to sleep might go back to ancient shepherds, who had to literally count their sheep every night before turning in