Know your sleep

Have you ever looked at a sleeping baby? Or maybe your partner? How calm, peaceful and composed they look. No heavy breaths, poker face and so relaxed. But are we really so calm while sleeping?  Science says that during sleep our metabolism rate increases and we burn more calories. Yes, I mean it. But it doesn't mean that sleeping for hours will help you in losing weight. If you sleep more than necessary the effect reverses. This is just an example of what happens while we sleep. 

The human body is industrious. It works incessantly to keep us alive. Even when we say we are relaxed we actually aren't. Those are just a few hormones playing with us. A proper sleep, as we all know is very essential. We also probably know the side effects of not taking proper rest. Stress, exhaustion, dizziness, burning of eyes and whatnot.

But what happens when you are asleep?  What goes in your head? How your body functions? Honestly, even researchers can not tell you a lot about that. But here are a few interesting facts you can fold and keep in your pocket. Maybe tell others and sound smart, you know. So here we go - 

(1) Hypnic Jerks - Too technical right? Let's simplify this. Ever felt like someone suddenly pulled your leg. Maybe you are sleeping and suddenly you are falling downwards. Your body jolts you up. Or maybe a ghost grabbed your hand, you jerked it off and ran away. Don't worry it's all very normal and natural.

This feeling is what we call Hypnic Jerks or sleep starts. Folklores and stories suggest several spooky reasons for this. Some states that when your soul returns from out-of-body experience, you feel so. Some other suggests that your body pulls back your escaping soul.

Though, there are no scientific explanations but mere assumptions. Few theorize, that brain mistakes relaxing muscles as the feeling of falling down and jolts to catch itself. Many scientists relate it to stress, anxiety, caffeine, and irregular sleep schedules. None of the theory is proven. But we do know that they take place during initial non-REM stages of sleep as muscles relax.

(2) Ghost in the room -  Someone is there apart from you in the room. There is a shadow lurking behind the door. You can feel it coming closer. Your eyes widen, blood rushes and adrenaline level increases. You are sweating and kind of paralysed. The room is growing colder and darker. And suddenly all of it goes away. 

A blend of sleep paralysis and hallucinations can be a live horror movie experience. Or who knows you can make an actual movie out of it. But these hallucinations take place when falling asleep or waking up. Modern science says it is due to delay in the body's sleep-wake system. 

(3) Dream Control - There are people who can control what you dream. What? Yes, you read it right. People claim that with practice they can know when they are in a dream. They can control what happens. Some also say that they have conquered their fears. And astonishingly few people can re-dream a dream. Not only that they can even pause or play it. Amazing right? We such people " Lucid Dreamers". 

(4) Black and White - A study published in 2008, stated that 12% of people dream in black and white. It started that people who were born in the age of colour TV dreamed in colours. While those who (usually 55+) who were born in the era of black and white dreamed in the same colour. Thought these links are not proved. But that's all the world knows for now. 

(5) Beauty Sleepy - Yes, not kidding it's a legit thing. Your skin is highly active when you are asleep. It starts repairing itself. Cortisol aka the stress hormone is released when you are sleep deprived. It not only affects you mentally but also your skin. But cortisol leave is naturally very low when we are fast asleep. And that's how we heal our skin. So, have don't forget to have your beauty sleep.

(6) Sleep and Weight-  The less you sleep the more weight you gain. The more weight you gain, the harder it is to sleep. Those deprived of sleep have less Leptin level. Leptin is the hormone that controls your appetite. So less amount of it means more hunger. 

(7) Blind Dreamers - Most of us will agree to the fact that blind people can't dream. Of course, how will they? They haven't seen anything. But more recent studies have denied this notion. Studies prove that even blind people can dream. And they dream exacts things as we sighted people does.

(8) Nocturnal lagophthalmos - Don't worry, it's not cancer. Some people have a habit of sleeping with open or partially open eyes. And that gruesome term is for those people. The reason is some defect with facial nerves. Sleeping with open eyes can get you int trouble with your eyes. 

(9) Body paralysis - During REM (Rapid Eye Movement) your brain paralysis your body. This is the time when you dream intensely. And to prevent you from acting out your dreamy scenarios, your brain paralysis you. 

Conclusion - 

That's not all about your sleep. There are still many undiscovered and unknown realms. Who knows what all happens in your body. All of this is just the tip of the iceberg. But isn't our body so fascinating? Just look what all happens while we are lying still. When we think like everything is still inside and outside. Our body gets ready for a whole new inbuilt experience.

Parth Sharma

Bjmc ii