Did you know that in the short term, sleep may be more important than food? That’s because you can survive for three times as long without food than you can without sleep.

That’s just one fun fact about the phenomenon that is sleep. Today, CPAPCentral.com would like to offer these eight strange details about slumber:

1. People spend a third of their lives asleep. Cats sleep double that.

Whether you slept 16 hours a day as a baby or 6 hours as an adult, it still rounds out to a third.  If you’re a cat owner, you probably are already aware of how much our furry companions sleep.

2. Scientists aren’t sure why we sleep

They just know it’s really, really important, and that we don’t function well without it.

3. There are 19 different sleep-related breathing disorders.

Sleep apnea, which CPAPCentral.com is dedicated to alieving, accounts for 10 of them.

4. Up to 15% of the population are sleepwalkers.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not dangerous to wake them!

5. 1 in 4 married couples don’t share beds.

If you had undiagnosed sleep apnea, chances are, you were one of them!

6. Older generations dream in black and white.

Among those who grew up with black and white media—such as photographs and TV—only 15% dream in color. For those who grew up with colored media, 88% dream in color.

7. Up to 36 percent of Americans drive drowsy or fall asleep while drowsy

This can be as dangerous as drunk driving. If you fall into this category, even after a good night’s sleep, it could be a sign of sleep apnea.

8. Less sleep means you eat more.

During sleep, the body produces leptin, which regulates appetite. The less sleep you have, the less leptin, so the hungrier you are upon waking. This is why obesity is often linked to sleep apnea.

At CPAPCentral.com, we’re all about getting a good night’s rest! If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, we have the latest in technology and comfort to help you address it. Browse our online catalog today to find the equipment you need.

“At night my mind does not much care,

If what it thinks is here or there,

It tells me stories it invents

And makes up things that don’t make sense.

I don’t know why it does this stuff—

The real world seems quite weird enough!”

-Bill Watterson, The Essential Calvin and Hobbes

That poem really hits the nail on the head. Who hasn’t had a bizarre dream?

While everyone dreams, researchers are divided as to why we do. Some think that it’s a way for the brain to process memory, solve problems or process emotions. Still others think it may be nothing more than the nonsense images of a tired brain.

Here’s what we do know about dreams:

• They occur during REM Sleep.

If you’re a CPAP user, you’re probably familiar with the importance REM sleep plays in your overall well-being. After all, sleep apnea instances most often occur during this important stage in your sleep cycle, leaving you with the headaches and daytime drowsiness that negatively affect your life.

REM is also when our brains most actively dream. So, if you’re routinely having this stage interrupted by sleep apnea, it’s entirely possible that it’s contributing to the mental health side-effects that come with the condition. After all, if dreams help us process things emotionally, it’s possible that the lack of dreaming is contributing to the horrible moods that come with sleep apnea.

• Nightmares may have a positive purpose.

Just as there are many theories as to why we dream, there are also many theories as to why we have nightmares.

One school of thought posits that nightmares are essentially a virtual reality testing ground, where our brain runs us through dangerous situations so that we are prepared for them when we encounter them in our waking hours.

Others say that nightmares reflect whatever is causing us stress or anxiety in life, and that they could act as windows into our psyche, allowing us to address underlying emotional issues.

• Sleep Apnea could cause nightmares.

One study found that those with sleep apnea potentially had a higher frequency of nightmares. In particular, those who were awoken during an apnea incident reported that they had dreams involving not being able to breathe. In a way, these nightmares really were their brain trying to tell them something was wrong.

After study participants started their CPAP therapy, they reported a lower frequency of nightmares.

At CPAPCentral.com, we want to help everyone experience sweet dreams. If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you can turn to our experts for help. We stock everything you need to combat this condition, and our experts are available via live chat from Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., EST.

You’re probably most familiar with the English author Charles Dickens from his novella A Christmas Carol, but did you know he’s also connected to early sleep apnea studies?

When sleep apnea was first being observed by the scientific community, it was dubbed “Pickwickian Syndrome.” That’s because a character in Dickens’ book Pickwick Papers demonstrated all the symptoms associated with sleep apnea.

While this fact about sleep apnea may be “fun,” the condition itself is anything but. That’s why today, we’re going to review the top 15 fast facts about sleep apnea:

1. Up to 80% of moderate to severe cases of sleep apnea are undiagnosed.
2. An estimated 22 million Americans have sleep apnea.
3. You may wake up as much as 30 times per hour during sleep.
4. While snoring is a common side effect of sleep apnea, it’s not always the case. Some who snore do not have sleep apnea, and some who have sleep apnea do not snore/
5. Likewise, not everyone who has sleep apnea is overweight.
6. Pregnancy and menopause can trigger sleep apnea in women.
7. As many as 4% of children have it, but it’s often diagnosed as ADHD.
8. There are 10 different subcategories of sleep apnea.
9. Sleep apnea has been linked to marriages falling apart.
10. It can be hereditary.
11. It can put you at risk for a host of other health conditions, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
12. Being male, overweight, and having a large neck circumference are all predictors of sleep apnea.
13. Certain lifestyle habits, such as smoking, can contribute to it.
14. Since men tend to be more likely to develop it, it’s often undiagnosed in women.
15. Lifestyle changes—such as losing weight, using your CPAP and avoiding alcohol—can all help alleviate symptoms.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, CPAPCentral.com is here to help. We carry a wide variety of CPAP machines, CPAP masks and CPAP supplies, all of which can help you combat this condition. Our live chat is available from Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., EST.

Cup of Joe. Afternoon tea. 2 p.m. pick-me-up.

In whatever form you take it, caffeine is the most consumed drug in the world, with some 90 percent of adults partaking in it. While there are a number of benefits to regularly consuming caffeine, it has been linked to some negative side effects, including insomnia. Since we specialize in helping people sleep, we thought it would be good to take a moment and look at some of the facts surrounding it:

• It can actually help with sleep apnea.

Some studies have shown that caffeine can actually help those with sleep apnea, by improving their cognitive function and helping better breathing at night. However, other studies have shown that it’s the way you consume it that affects your condition. While coffee and tea seemed safe, sugary soft drinks appeared to exacerbate the condition.

• 400 Milligrams is the recommended amount

That adds up to about 4 cups of coffee a day, but that depends on how strong you make yours. And that 400 milligram amount is a guideline—some people have higher sensitivity to it than others. Taking too much for you can have negative side effects. Some of these include migraines, fast heartbeats, upset stomach, nervousness, anxiety, irritability and insomnia.

• It stays in your system for a while.

You might come across the term “half-life” when you Google how long caffeine stays in your body. This term refers to how long it takes for the caffeine to reach half its effectiveness. For the average person, that’s about 5-6 hours. That means to be totally eliminated out of your system, your body may take up to 12 hours. That lunchtime latte may be the reason you’re up later than you want to be, which could undermine some of the gains you’ve had with CPAP therapy.

• There are numerous benefits.

In spite of the side effects, there are numerous other benefits. It’s been shown to increase memory, decrease kidney stone risk, prevent type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and liver disease. It’s also been shown to increase cognitive function and decrease fatigue. It’s also been linked to weight loss. If you’re struggling with your weight as a result of sleep apnea, this could actually help.

Finding the right balance with caffeine to aid in your sleep apnea journey is all about listening to your body. If you want to use this as a way to address your condition, write down how much caffeine you had that day, and how your sleep was that night, as well as how you functioned the next day. This scientific approach should hopefully give you the tools you need to optimize your sleep and overall well-being.

For everything else sleep apnea related, see the experts at CPAPCentral.com! We have all the equipment necessary to combat this condition and are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., EST.