We’ve all heard the scary idea that we could eat spiders in our sleep. This horror story seems to be persistent and always gives you goosebumps.
But is there really anything to it? In this article, we’ll get to the bottom of the question and see if it’s really possible that we swallow spiders in our sleep.
The rumor that people eat spiders in their sleep is as old as the spider itself. There are different versions of this urban legend. The most common one is that spiders could accidentally enter a person’s mouth at night and end up being swallowed. Some even speak of up to 8 spiders per year. But how realistic is that?
The truth about spiders and our sleep
First of all, it’s important to know that spiders don’t usually crawl into our beds to “attack” us. They generally avoid people and do not actively seek them out. Spiders are also diurnal animals, meaning they mostly sleep or remain quiet at night.
Spiders look at us humans more like massive rocks. In addition, spiders are characterized by their extraordinary sensitivity: sleeping people breathe, have a pulsating heartbeat and may even snore. All of this creates a vibration that warns spiders of potential danger.
The role of our swallowing reflex
Even if a spider accidentally gets into our mouth, our body is equipped with an impressive protective mechanism – the swallowing reflex. This reflex ensures that we don’t automatically swallow things that enter our mouths, but rather spit them out. It would be extremely unlikely that a spider could stay in our mouth long enough to be swallowed. Most people would wake up much earlier if their mouth crawled.
No evidence of spider eating
Despite numerous stories, there is no scientific evidence that people eat spiders in their sleep. Researchers have conducted sleep studies and found no evidence that people actually swallow spiders.
Woman sleeping peacefully in bed.
Overall, you can rest easy and focus on getting a good night’s sleep without worrying about accidentally eating spiders. This myth definitely belongs to the category of “uncanny half-knowledge”. Are you afraid of spiders or do they not bother you in the bedroom?
