Can the Blind Dream? 12 Surprising Facts About Sleep

We all know how important sleep is but how much do we really understand about it? Since we spend about a third of our lives sleeping, it’s worth exploring some of the amazing things that happen while we rest.

1. Why Sleep Matters
When we sleep, our bodies release important hormones, heal cells, and help our brains recharge and organize thoughts.

2. No Sleep Can Be Deadly
Going 10 days without sleep can be life-threatening. In fact, someone might die from lack of sleep before starving from lack of food.

3. How Much Sleep Do We Need?

• Babies: around 16 hours

• Kids and teens: about 10 hours

• Adults: around 8 hours

• Older adults: about 6 hours

4. Why Do We Dream of Faces?
If you see a face in your dream, it’s because your brain remembers seeing it before even if you don’t recognize the person.

5. Why Do We Forget Dreams?
Within 5 minutes of waking up, we forget most of our dreams. After 10 minutes, about 90% of them are gone.

6. Can the Blind Dream?
Yes! People who are blind can still experience dreams with images depending on when they lost their sight.

7. Do Babies Dream in the Womb?
Yes! Starting at about 32 weeks of pregnancy, babies spend about 90% of their time asleep and they even dream.

8. When Are We Sleepiest?
Most people feel the most tired twice a day: around 2:00 PM (after lunch) and again at 2:00 AM.

9. A Tip for Better Sleep
Exercising regularly before bedtime can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply. But irregular workouts may make it harder to sleep.

10. Only Humans Can Choose to Stay Awake
Unlike animals, people can decide to stay up even when they’re tired.

11. Who Sleeps the Most and Least?

• Most: Koalas (22 hours) and brown bats (19 hours)

• Least: Asian elephants (about 3 hours) and giraffes (around 1 hour)

12. Animals Have Amazing Sleep Habits
Some birds sleep while flying. Cows rest with their eyes open. And horses can sleep while standing up!

Sleep is a gift and the more we understand it, the more we can appreciate just how amazing it really is.