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Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Humans spend a third of their life sleeping (25 years or more). In fact, humans can survive longer without food than they can without sleep.



Today's Random Fact:

When applied patiently and systematically, sleep deprivation is said to be the single most effective form of coercion and torture.

A nineteenth-century Chinese merchant was sentenced to death for murdering his wife. Sleep deprivation was deliberately chosen as the method of execution on the grounds that it would cause the maximum amount of suffering and would serve as the greatest deterrent to other potential murderers. He eventually died on the nineteenth day, having suffered terribly.

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Bonus Fact:

Children don't react the same way to sleep deprivation as adults: while adults get sleepy, children become hyperactive. In fact, a lack of sleep can result in ADHD-like symptoms in kids. Children need an average of nine to 10 hours of sleep each night.

The Sandman is a mythological personification of sleep. The term developed from the "sand" that is commonly found in the corner of the eyes in the morning. The sandman in E.T.A. Hoffman's (1776-1822) short story would throw sand in the eyes of naughty children who wouldn't fall asleep, causing their eyes to fall out. The sandman would then collect their eyes and feed them to his own children.