This is a list based entirely on sleep. Whether it's about external forces or the things that are going on inside our minds it (somehow) includes sleep.
Ready...
Set...
Go...
Number 5. Time Waster
I honestly looooove sleep. It's like my own personal time traveling machine. I close my eyes and then boom, I'm in the future. But other times sleep is one of the most annoying things I ever have to do. I could be doing so much more with those 8 hours a night. All it does is waste time. But for some people, this time wasting, time travel is something they can't control.
It's called the Kleine-Levin syndrome (also known as sleeping beauty syndrome). The Kleine-Levin syndrome is a neurological disorder. The suffers of this disorder have to put their lives on hold when they have their episodes. The most famous case is Nicole Delien. She slept for 64 days straight. While KLS may not be as dangerous as the other things on this list, it is surely one of the most awful. It's like skipping parts of your life. Just the thought of that makes me feel so bad.
Number 4. Sleepwalking, talking, and killing?
Sleepwalking isn't unheard of and is actually quite common. Many people experience it everyday. In fact I have had a couple sleepwalking experiences myself. But sleepwalking has a dangerous side. For some people sleep walking for them is getting up out of bed, drinking something, and doing normal everyday things. But for some people sleep walking means murder?
It's called Homicidal Sleepwalking. The number of cases I found are incredibly surprising. There is the very famous case of Kenneth James Parks (if you don't like violence or are squeamish, I suggest you stop reading here) who drove to his parents house, choked his father-in-law until he was unconscious, beat his mother-in-law, and stabbed both of them to death. There's also the case of Scott Falater who stabbed his significant other and held her head underwater. They both claimed to be asleep. The scariest part is that these are not the only two cases. Even though rare, sleep killing a lot more common then I originally thought.
Number 3. Paralyzed
Have you ever heard about sleep paralysis? If you know what is, you know exactly why sleep paralysis is on this list. Not only are you paralyzed for a while, but it comes with hallucinations. They can be auditory or visual. It's also reported by many people that they feel as if an evil presence is in the room. There is also multiple reddit pages on what they experience. It can also be deadly. While it's not always the case, sleep paralysis can be a sign of more dangerous conditions.
Here is an example. This is an excerpt of from user Judekos sleep paralysis story from reddit.
"I've had SP attacks for quite a few years now, usually once a month but at times spiking to as many as three times a night for a week. I used to hear and feel horror-movie style hallucinations- a doll stabbing my legs with a fork and singing, for one- but now I barely hallucinate except to know that something is in the room."
Number 2. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are mutating. Yup. They are legit mutating. Specifically, they are becoming more resistant to pesticides. For example the bed bugs in New York City have become resistant topyrethroid insecticides.
"Oh, so it's a little bit harder to kill them. Big deal."
YES! Big deal. "The results are detailed in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of Medical Entomology. 264 times more resistant" The bugs that suck your blood while YOU SLEEP ARE BECOMING HARDER TO KILL. IS NO ONE ELSE PANICKING.
And it's not just some super bug in New York. There are other bed bugs with other mutations. and they're spreading quickly. They are also found to carry viruses like Hepatitis B and HIV. Lucky for us humans, they have not transmitted any diseases... yet. But having bed bugs is bad enough. Just the idea of those things crawling around in my bed bugs me. (Sorry but I'm not sorry for this overused pun)
Number 1. Cause of death: Sleep
Ever wondered what inspired the brutal story of "Nightmare on Elm Street". It's called "Nightmare death syndrome". Young, healthy, people were suddenly dying in their sleep. This in turn created the story that an old, evil, ghost woman was sitting on people and stopping them from breathing. It turns out that it was a heart condition that caused an irregular heartbeat.
Ironically, the story of the hag scared some of them so much (which causes their heart rate to speed up) that it became the catalyst that triggered the condition.
Don't believe me? Check it out yourself on these websites. Good night, sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite. ;)
BUT SERIOUSLY IS ANYONE ELSE REALLY GROSSED OUT BY THOSE MUTANT BUGS?!?!?!
Sources:
Number 5.
http://klsfoundation.org/what-is-kleine-levin-syndrome/
www.ibtimes.com
Number 4.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-superhuman-mind/201212/sleep-driving-and-sleep-killing
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/sleep/articles/2009/05/08/7-criminal-cases-that-invoked-the-sleepwalking-defense?page=2
Number 3.
http://www.sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders-by-category/parasomnias/sleep-paralysis/overview-facts
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sleepparalysis/comments/4p3h4b/harder_to_escape_this_time/ (This is the reddit story)
Number 2.
http://www.livescience.com/3205-bed-bugs-resist-pesticides.html (This is also where I got the statistic from for the bed bugs)
Number 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8h_EFtR1dk
http://www.stufftoblowyourmind.com/blog/actual-sleep-deaths-inspired-a-nightmare-on-elm-street/
