Lesson 28

Sleep

Part One

Watch the video and complete the exercises

Part Two

Sleeptalking

“Sleep is the best meditation.” — Dalai Lama

“Man should forget his anger before he lies down to sleep.” — Mahatma Gandhi

“No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap.” — Carrie Snow

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” — Benjamin Franklin

"The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep." - W. C. Fields

"Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can't sleep with the window shut, and a woman who can't sleep with the window open." - George Bernard Shaw

Part Three

Sleep by Max Richter

Max Richter’s landmark 8.5 hour work explores new ways for music and consciousness to interact, a “personal lullaby for a frenetic world…a manifesto for a slower pace of existence.”

Sold out performances at such venues as the Sydney Opera House, New York City’s Spring Studios and London’s Barbican are a testament to the work’s international fame.

The slow-paced movements slide in and out of focus throughout the concert inviting the audience to experience what Richter essentially considers a protest against our relentlessly ‘switched on’ lives.

Part Four

Sleepy Things

Whales and dolphins never fully fall asleep. Half their brain always stays awake so they can continue to surface breathe.
Our minds incorporate sounds and smells around us when we’re dreaming. If you’re napping while someone’s cooking lasagna, you might start dreaming you’re dining at an Italian restaurant.
Everyone dreams 4 to 7 times each and every night. Everyone. If you can’t remember them, you’re not alone. Most people forget 90% of their dreams.
Somniphobia is the fear of sleep.
Waking up multiple times during the night is normal. Some studies suggest we wake up as many as 8 times throughout the night as we cycle between light and deep sleep.
Our dreams don’t create faces – we dream about what we’ve already seen (if only for a second).
Pulling an all-nighter to finish a report or study for an exam? Not sleeping for 16 hours can make you behave as if you have a blood alcohol level of .05%.
If you live to be 75 years old, you’ll have spent approximately 25 years sleep – 6 of those years will be jam-packed with dreams.
Ever fall asleep and wake up with a sudden jolt seconds later? That action is called a myoclonic jerk.
Blind people often struggle with sleep because they have no perception of light. Their circadian rhythm (internal clock) lacks the ability to match up a night and day cycle.
Full moon? Some studies suggest that the full moon robs us of a good night’s sleep. Even if your sleep is restricted to windowless rooms, your sleep is likely to be shorter and interrupted more.