10 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About Sleep

Fall asleep the second your head hits the pillow? It might sound nice, but it usually means you're not getting enough sleep. Most people should take about 10 to 15 minutes to drift off. Less than that is often a sign of sleep deprivation.

Had a baby recently? Congrats! But brace yourself, new parents lose between 400 and 750 hours of sleep during the first year. And if you’re one of the lucky few who didn’t? Count your blessings and maybe keep it to yourself!

Sorry, teens but you still need as much sleep as little kids. Around 10 hours a night is ideal. Older adults (65 and up) often do fine with six, while most grownups need about eight.

Studies show women may need about one more hour of sleep than men. Some researchers believe that missing this extra rest could be part of the reason women are more likely to experience depression.

Think you’re doing fine on little sleep? Maybe not. In studies where people got very little sleep, they felt the effects at first but after a few days, they stopped noticing. Their performance, mood, and focus still dropped, they just didn’t realize it.

Some of the biggest disasters in history, like the Chernobyl explosion and the Challenger shuttle tragedy, were linked to sleep-deprived human errors. Sleep matters more than we think.

Before light bulbs, people used to sleep a lot more, about 9 to 10 hours each night, according to old diaries. The darkness naturally led to longer rest.

The British Ministry of Defense figured out how to help soldiers stay awake for 36 hours straight. They used special glasses that shine a sunrise-like light into the eyes, tricking the body into thinking it just woke up. This was first used during the Kosovo bombings.

Dolphins and whales can do something amazing: they sleep with one half of their brain at a time. While one side sleeps, the other stays alert so they can keep breathing and stay safe in the water.

Still awake reading this? That might be part of the problem. The 24/7 internet is one reason so many people struggle with sleep today. If it’s late, turn off your screen and get some rest!