Do we really eat spiders in our sleep? [ANSWERED: NO!]

[the4thsanin]

Right so theres a lot of discussion around this so i gotta ask: Do we really eat spiders in our sleep and is there a chance of dying from this?

Some links that say we do..Mostly:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhnmjdGKRdSenvt7Y3aqqLYjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070808190746AAgqC3K

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/35592

http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-23997,00.html

Edited June 11, 2009 by the4thsanin

[JohnB]

In our sleep? Nah.

 

Lightly fried with a sweet white wine sauce however........

[Sisyphus]

Well, I'm guessing you end up digesting some of the larger particles you breathe in. I don't know why you would ever think of spiders in particular, although I guess if you sleep with your mouth open, and your home is extremely infested with very small ones, I guess it's technically possible, just as it would be technically possible to swallow any other small very small object without realizing it. Any "statistic" is pretty silly though. "Can you die from it" is a similar question, because, well, you can die from pretty much anything. I doubt anyone ever has, though.

[CaptainPanic]

Yes. No.

Yes, there are lots of bugs/insects, lice, spiders, mites, etc.

No, you won't die.

 

They are simply everywhere, and there is absolutely no reason to be alarmed by this. There are many you can see and many that you cannot see... for example the mites I just linked to: they're between 0.1 and 1 mm.

 

I actually don't think anyone ever did a study to determine the amount of spiders you eat. But given the number in any house, there is a chance that there is some truth in it. (In every house, not just dirty houses)

 

You also breathe in dust and aerosols. Did you know that:

"dust in homes, offices, and other human environments consist primarily of human skin cells, but also contain small amounts of plant pollen, human and animal hairs, textile fibers, paper fibers, minerals from outdoor soil, and many other materials which may be found in the local environment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust

 

And if that was not enough: on your skin and inside your body there are million, billions or even more bacteria. Thousands of types.

 

In short: you're part of nature! And that's completely normal.

[the tree]

And this, kids, is why we have snopes.

[Sayonara]

The sorts of spiders which live in houses are typically averse to damp and draughts, so I find it unlikely that they would leap into a human's mouth for no compelling reason.

 

And I concur that in all likelihood no study has been done. Those people and or sites which declare "you eat 8 spiders over your life" are talking ****.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

How exactly does one count the number of spiders swallowed without noticing?

[Mokele]

The frequency with which spiders turn up in the stomach cavity during autopsies.

[Sayonara]

Spiders being well known for their resilience to digestion and alimentary transport.

 

"And when they opened her up, there were EIGHT OF THEM INSIDE HERRRR!!!!!!!!!1112"

[Mokele]

[dolphinlvr411]

yes you do eat spiders in your sleep but no you won't die.

[iNow]

yes you do eat spiders in your sleep...

 

What evidence can you offer to support this assertion?

[CaptainPanic]

What evidence can you offer to support this assertion?

 

It's only logical that sometimes a silly spider makes a mistake. I mean, they sometimes just float in using one thread of spider silk as a sail.

 

I would reverse the question: what evidence is there that no spider ever gets eaten by people in their sleep? None. Therefore, it's likely that it does happen sometimes.

 

It's just not true highly unlikely that it happens as in the myth: 2 or 8 per night.

[iNow]

Fair enough, but I'd further clarify that a blanket assertion that we all eat spiders is quite simply wrong. There will be some people who never once in their life eat a spider while sleeping, and others who eat buckets full. My point is not that we never eat spiders while sleeping, just that gross generalizations really don't support the scientific method of research very well. Further, dolphinlvr plainly stated that YOU eat spiders in YOUR sleep (directed both to the OP and to the casual reader of the thread). How the frak would they know that? Down here in TX, we shoot intruders to our homes, especially ones sitting in our bedroom without consent and counting the numbers of spiders entering our mouths while we sleep!

[Mokele]

There's a reason we should always check Snopes.

[Melanydac]

Hi Everyone

 

Just been reading this rather funny conversation you are all having, so I decided to go have a look around for some answers and I found this link by The Straight Dope which should clear up some of the confusion a little i hope

 

Mel

[the tree]

There's a reason we should always check Snopes.

 

And this, kids, is why we have snopes.

 

*feels ignored*

 

*goes to cry in the corner*

[iNow]

Hey... you guys should check Snopes! I can't believe nobody has done that yet.

[Pangloss]

Has anyone checked this with Snopes yet?

 

 

 

 

*runs for cover*

[Mokele]

I checked with Snape:

[Pangloss]

Ack. Mokele's been getting into the Polyjuice Potion again.

[Jason Chapman]

My ex girfreind used to sleep with her mouth open, bit like the hanger deck of the new Enterprise.

[Lance]

I checked with Snape:

 

 

You checked with Snape but you won't tell us what he said on the matter?

[the tree]

He didn't say anything, he just scowled.