Nine things we used to think we knew about sleep...
Feeling dozy? Many of us don’t feel our best unless we’ve had our eight hours sleep a night. And four in the day. Here’s nine things we learned from comedian Jake Yapp’s Everything We Ever Knew About... Sleep.
1. There is a Jewish Kabbalah belief that, when you are asleep, your soul leaves your body and has a great time (which is why your slippers are never where you left them when you wake up).
2. In Greek mythology, Hypnos was the god of sleep and forgetfulness, making him the patron saint of absent-minded people who neglect to set their alarms.
3. Aristotle thought sleep was caused by vapours rising from your heart during digestion. This was particularly pertinent if you were trying to digest a bottle of red wine.
4. John Davy, doctor and amateur chemist, was the first to show that sleep and body temperature are not dependant on the external environment, but on whoever’s nicked half your duvet.
5. Sante de Sanctis, an Italian doctor, proved that animals dream. And then made the evidence into a hilarious GIF.
6. Soaking your mattress in camphor was one solution offered to insomniacs. Well they claimed it was camphor, anyway…
7. Jetlagged? Reset your body clock by shining a light on the back of your knees. Oh go on. It might not work but it’ll give the rest of us a laugh.
8. The Guinness Book of Records will no longer accept any sleep deprivation attempts on health grounds. The health of junior doctors, largely.
9. Hindus experienced sleep as a feeling of pure bliss. Particularly the bit when you remember it’s Saturday.
…and stretch. Well done. Time for a nap.
