14 Facts About Sleep That Will Actually Change Your Life

Since you spend 26 years of your life sleeping, it couldn't hurt to brush up on the basics. Learn the facts and find the best rest possible at American Signature Furniture.

1. Staying active makes dozing off easier.

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Following a regular schedule of exercise may have important nocturnal benefits. But it's better to wrap up your routine early in the evening, as elevating the heart just before bed makes it harder to fall asleep.

2. Long nights make for rough days...

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Which means even if you're not exercising late into the night, staying awake until the wee hours of the morning can still throw your whole week off balance.

3. ...and rough skin.

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In fact, some research has shown that a single night of suboptimal sleep might result in drier skin and more visible wrinkles.

4. Less sleep, more lies.

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But those wrinkles may not be nearly as bad as the various other gaffes that sleep-deprived people are prone to exhibit. Lying, cheating, and stealing are all behaviors that increase in frequency among anyone running on fewer than eight hours of shuteye.

5. Fatigue feeds junk-food habits.

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So while you're lying, cheating, and stealing more, you may also wind up eating more. Weary wanderers in the desert of drowsiness are more likely to be duped by a junk-food oasis.

6. Crashing causes crashes.

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Add recklessness to the laundry list of languorous offenses. Sleep deprivation contributes to a greater risk for automobile accidents according to some studies.

7. And daylight saving results in especially drowsy driving.

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The likelihood of a crash has been found to increase by up to 17% following daylight saving time, since drivers are effectively losing one hour of sleep.

8. Sleep acts as a cerebral cleanse.

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Catching Zs not only makes you more alert but also enables your brain to ditch certain toxins, including one particular protein with a known link to Alzheimer's disease.

9. Dreams tend to fade 5–10 minutes after waking up.

If you intend to track your subconscious adventures, it's a good idea to keep a notebook beside the bed. Otherwise the dreamy details can usually become muddled after five minutes or so.

10. But naps can improve memory retention.

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Dreams may fade, but brief periods of rest are capable of strengthening one's overall memory in as little as six minutes.

11. When bros doze.

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Seventy percent of dude dreams include other men, while male and females are equally represented in women's dreams.

12. Setting your internal clock.

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Jet setters can help adjust to time zone variances through calculated exposure to sunlight. Depending on which direction you're flying, the right exposure can ease the symptoms of jet lag.

13. Sharing a bed with someone may provide health benefits.

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Sleeping close to someone else can raise oxytocin levels in the brain, the so-called "love hormone" which has been linked to stress relief.

14. Snoozing sea otters occasionally hold hands.

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Maybe oxytocin is the motivation for sea otters who stick together after hitting the hay, by clutching paws so they won't float apart from each other.

We'd share some other facts, but it's time for a nap. For more sleep tips, trust the experts at American Signature Furniture.