10 Crazy Things You Never Knew Your Body Does While You Sleep

We all know we’re supposed to get eight hours of restful sleep each night (ha!). But what’s your body really up to during these seemingly quiet, inactive hours?

As it turns out, quite a lot.

If you’ve ever wondered as to your body’s nighttime shenanigans, well, assuage your curiosity at last. Here is a list of the top ten most bizarre things your body secretly does once you enter la-la-land.

1. It Paralyzes You.

I kid you not.

Your sleep cycle has different phases, one of which is the REM, or “rapid eye movement” phase. Not only is this the deepest part of sleep but it’s also the phase when you happen to dream. During REM sleep, the muscles in our upper and lower limbs are temporarily paralyzed (1). Which, FYI, is totally normal, so don’t you start getting hysterical on me.

2. It Keeps Your Eyes Moving

This also happens to occur in your fifth and last stage of sleep – REM. Its full name – ‘rapid eye movement’ – sort of ruins the surprise.  Once you finish your REM phase of sleep, you repeat the cycle and move on to the first phase again.

From the moment you snooze, it takes you roughly 70 to 90 minutes to reach the REM stage. In total, one spends 20% of their sleep in REM stage, with their eyes rapidly darting back and forth (2). But, just like our dreams, we have no memory of this.

3. It Jerks You Awake (Meanie!)

Ever felt like you were falling or like something actually jolted you awake? Well, this phenomenon is called hypnic (or even hypnagogic) jerks, and once again, this is perfectly normal. Even common, actually.

It is hypothesized that our limbs probably jerk because the body is prepping for all the many changes that occur when you slumber. On the other hand, some researchers think this could be due to your body misinterpreting falling asleep with actual, honest to God ‘falling’. Hence, to prevent you from hurting yourself it gives you a well-meaning jerk to remain upright (3). Aww.

4. It Pumps You With Growth Hormone

HGH, aka human growth hormone, helps our bones, muscles, and any other tissues worn through the day, regenerate. This essential hormone happens to be released once we’re asleep. HGH release is primarily triggered by low blood glucose levels, which we inevitably attain as we sleep (4).

So, there’s some actual science behind the whole ‘beauty sleep’ nonsense. Huh. I guess I owe my mother an apology.

5. It Makes You Grind Your Teeth

Teeth grinding or clenching, which doctors fancily refer to as ‘bruxism’, can happen to quite a few people once they sleep. At times, it is reported to be exacerbated by a misaligned jaw, or maybe even stress (5). Science has yet to determine the exact reason, however, as to why some people can go their entire lives never ever grinding their pearly whites, while others happen to end up with worn or cracked enamel and a tender, sore jaw.

6. It Constricts Your Throat

When we sleep, our throat muscles naturally relax, causing our throat to narrow slightly. If you happen to have a partner or roommate who is a particularly loud and a habitual snorer, then you’re already familiar with what exactly occurs when the throat tends to narrow a little more than normal. (To be fair, snoring can spring from a multitude of reasons, such as tonsil issues or suffering a stuffy nose – but, you get the point). Perhaps, even more terrifying is when sometimes the airway happens to completely close off, which is what we call ‘sleep apnea’ (6).

7. It Makes Up Stories

We’ve all had those vivid dreams, where we wake up and think, was that real? However, despite the countless studies and research conducted over the mystical phenomenon of dreaming, scientists are still baffled as to the whys and hows.

8. It Slows Your Kidneys Down 

Normally, your kidneys serve to filter out the toxins from your blood and produce – you guessed it – urine. As we sleep, however, the brain slows down their function, causing less urine to be produced (7). This is also the reason why the urine you produce first thing in the morning happens to be so dark.

9. It Turns You Into A Chatterbox 

Sleep talking, or ‘somniloquy’, happens in only 5% of the population. It’s also more common in men than in women, and in children than in adults (8). Technically, though it happens to be a sleep disorder, it’s not one that gives you any trouble to lose sleep over (no pun intended). Sleep talking can be a result of depression, stress or an on-going illness (9).

10. It Creates Explosions

It’s pretty rare, but it’s known to happen. Some people can experience what is known as ‘exploding head syndrome’, where they will report to hear a loud bang or crash, uncannily like a gunshot, when they’re just about drifting off to sleep. It’s painless but terrifying, and usually occurs in those above the age of 50 (10).

There you have it, 10 shockingly crazy things our body does when we’re blissfully asleep. Who would have guessed? Oh well, we learn something new every day.

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Author

Emaan Shah

Emaan is a voracious and rather indiscriminate reader. She is also a writer, history buff, insomniac, amateur doodle artist, terrible poet and a self-professed philosopher (but only after 3 am). Currently, she is pursuing a degree in medicine