So, I’ve been having this weird thing happen to me lately… and no, it’s not some alien abduction or random glitch in the matrix. It’s a hypnic jerk—you know, that sudden twitch or muscle spasm when you’re drifting off to sleep? Yeah, that. Turns out, it’s actually pretty common, but it still freaks me out every time it happens! Here’s… Read more →
There are two basic types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep (which has three different stages). Each is linked to specific brain waves and neuronal activity. You cycle through all stages of non-REM and REM sleep several times during a typical night, with increasingly longer, deeper REM periods occurring toward morning. Stage 1 non-REM sleep is… Read more →
It may seem a little embarrassing: you wake up and your pillow is drenched in slobber. After you wipe the spit at the corners of your mouth, you might wonder: Why do we drool in our sleep? The body normally produces more than 1 liter of saliva per day. It is produced by salivary glands and is usually swallowed and… Read more →
A dream includes the images, thoughts, and emotions that are experienced during sleep. Dreams can range from extraordinarily intense or emotional to very vague, fleeting, confusing, or even dull. Some dreams are joyful, while others are frightening or sad. Sometimes dreams seem to have a straightforward narrative, while many others appear to make no sense at all. Many suggest that… Read more →
