Follow your dreams

Sleep could kill you faster than hunger — and other wild and dreamy facts

We do it every night, yet sleep is still one of the most mysterious parts of human life. But thanks to science, we have uncovered some of the strangest truths about what happens when we close our eyes, from sleepwalking to lucid dreaming. Here are 12 weird and wild facts about sleep and dreams, backed by real research.

Brain scans show that the brain remains active during sleep, especially during REM cycles. It continues to organize memories, regulate emotions, and solve problems even when you're unconscious.

Within 5 minutes of waking, about half of a dream is forgotten. After 10 minutes, 90% vanishes. Scientists believe dream recall fades quickly because the brain’s memory-forming regions are less active while dreaming. So, next time you have a crazy dream, write it down!

Dreams about falling often occur in the first stages of sleep and may coincide with muscle spasms called hypnic jerks. This sudden contraction is believed to be a primal reflex—ironically, an evolutionary adaptation meant to prevent falling while asleep.

It is believed that, even if you don’t remember them, strangers’ faces in dreams are real faces you’ve seen before. The brain doesn’t invent faces; it pulls from your memory bank, often from fleeting encounters you don’t consciously recall.

It might be tempting to pull an all-nighter to meet deadlines, but chronic sleep loss causes severe immune dysfunction and organ failure, making it deadlier than starvation. In lab studies, rats deprived of sleep died in about 3 weeks, while those without food lasted around 4.

Contrary to popular belief, if you’re snoring, you’re unlikely to be dreaming at that moment. Dreaming typically happens during REM sleep when muscles are relaxed, making loud snoring less common compared to deeper non-REM stages.

Some sleepwalkers can drive, cook, or even play musical instruments while asleep. During sleepwalking episodes, the brain’s motor control areas are active, but consciousness remains switched off.

Even those born blind dream, but their dreams are filled with other senses like sound, touch, smell, and emotion. Studies show that blind individuals experience more vivid sensory dreams. Their brain compensates by enhancing non-visual experiences in sleep.

Lucid dreaming is when you become aware you’re dreaming and can sometimes control the dream. Studies using EEGs show that lucid dreamers activate the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s decision-making area, during sleep.

During sleep paralysis, you’re awake but unable to move or speak—and if that isn’t terrifying enough, it often comes with vivid hallucinations. Despite this, it’s a harmless phenomenon that occurs when the brain wakes during REM sleep while the body remains paralyzed—a safety feature that normally prevents you from acting out dreams.

Studies have found a correlation between night owl tendencies and higher intelligence scores. However, being a night owl also increases risk for depression, metabolic issues, and heart disease.

Most dreams condense time, but certain dreams—especially during lucid dreaming—can unfold in real-time, matching waking perception. A 2021 study confirmed that people can answer questions with facial twitches or eye movements while actively dreaming.

Identity crisis

How Siam became Thailand and 9 other countries that chose to rebrand

Image: pure julia

Countries rename themselves for many reasons—shedding colonial pasts, embracing local languages, or settling political disputes. Some changes are subtle, others dramatic, but each reflects deep historical, cultural, or geopolitical shifts. Here are 10 times a nation decided to swap out its old name for a new identity.

Image: Yves Alarie

In 1989, the ruling military junta of the country changed "Burma" to "Myanmar" to reflect what it said was a more inclusive, indigenous identity. The name "Burma" was strongly associated with British colonialism and the dominant Bamar ethnic group.

The UN and many countries recognized the change, but some, like the U.S. and UK, resisted for years as a political stance against the unelected military regime behind the change.

Image: S'mile Vilakati

In 2018, King Mswati III declared that Swaziland would become Eswatini, meaning "land of the Swazis" in the local language. He announced the change during the country’s 50th independence anniversary.

The king cited confusion with Switzerland and a desire to break with colonial-era names as reasons. Also, the new name had already been in unofficial use for years during local events.

Image: Hendrik Cornelissen

In 1972, the island nation officially changed its name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka after becoming a republic. "Sri Lanka" derives from Sanskrit, meaning "resplendent island."

The name "Ceylon" was tied to Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial rule. However, some companies (like Ceylon Tea) still use the old name as a global brand.

Image: Kaysha

In 1997, after the dictatorial regime of Mobutu Sese Seko was overthrown, Zaire reverted to its pre-1971 name: the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"Zaire" had been Mobutu’s attempt to Africanize the nation, but reverting to the original name also caused its own problems, since its neighbor is also named the Republic of the Congo, leading to some confusion for both locals and tourists.

Image: Ljupco Dzambazovski

After years of dispute with Greece over the name "Macedonia," the country officially became North Macedonia in 2019. Greece claimed "Macedonia" implied a territorial claim over its northern region of the same name.

The compromise unblocked North Macedonia’s path to NATO and EU talks. Though controversial domestically, the change ended a decades-long diplomatic standoff.

Image: allPhoto Bangkok

Under the Khmer Rouge regime, the country was known as Democratic Kampuchea. After the regime’s fall in 1979, the name gradually returned to "Cambodia," the anglicized form of the original name.

By 1993, with the monarchy restored and a new constitution, "Kingdom of Cambodia" became official. "Kampuchea" is still used in the Khmer language, but not internationally.

Image: Road Ahead

In 1984, revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara renamed Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, meaning "Land of Incorruptible People" in local languages. The old name referred to river tributaries of the region.

Sankara saw the change as a break from colonial legacy and a tribute to national dignity. The people became known as Burkinabé, a new term coined to reflect unity.

Image: Azhar J

This was more a rebranding than a true name change. "The Netherlands" has always been the country’s official name, whereas "Holland" refers only to two provinces. In 2020, the Dutch government stopped using "Holland" in international marketing to avoid confusion.

The change was part of a tourism and trade branding overhaul, with major events like Eurovision and the Olympics adopting "Netherlands" exclusively in their materials.

Image: Mathew Schwartz

In 1939, and again officially after WWII in 1949, the country dropped the name Siam to become Thailand, meaning "land of the free."

The change was mainly driven by a nationalist movement that sought to unify the country under a more inclusive Thai identity. While the name "Siam" carried some specific cultural connotations, the name "Thailand" emphasized sovereignty and the ethnic majority’s rule.

Image: Chloe Evans

In 1980, the unrecognized white minority government of Rhodesia was replaced, and the country became Zimbabwe, derived from "Great Zimbabwe," an ancient city of the region.

The old name honored British imperialist Cecil Rhodes. The new one reclaimed African history and identity after years of brutal conflict.