Eastern Europe Wives Tales 2: Sleeping Zones

[bozothedeathmachine]

Hi all. I start this thread about being startled causing cold sores (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=92928) based on some (IMHO pretty woo) Eastern European lore my wife subscribes to. I have another one for you.

The claim is there are certain "zones" in which to place one's bed to facilitate sleeping. When one sleeps in this Zone, they get good, restful sleep. If one does not sleep in the Zone, the sleep, if they sleep at all, tends to be restless.

When we were first married we moved our bed all over the room to find the best layout of the room, but that's when the Zone subject came up. It comes back up anytime one of us does not sleep well or me move and have to figure out where to put the bed in the new place, like now. To up the woo, she claims that to find the Zone one can use a cat as a zone finger, because cats always sleep in Zone. So, just wait for the cat to fall asleep and you know where the Zone is.

Not only does bed location matter, but the sleeper's orientation on the bed. The direction one sleeps in the Zone also affects the quality of sleep they receive. Now, I thought this rule would be counter-intuitive to the "cat meter", as I believe most cats sleep curled-up, but that's just me.

So, anyone else heard this claim?

[Vitnir]

A popular woo in Europe is about Curry lines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_radiation
When the lines cross its supposed to be bad for you and cats won't sleep at the intersections. My mother-in law is convinced her former husband died of brain cancer due to him sleeping at an intersection. The ideal way to detect Curry lines is by using dowsing rods. I'm sad to say my father has bought into this as well. This sounds vaguely like the Zones.

[phaed]

Never heard this claim, but it sounds similar to feng shui. Whenever I am confronted with strange claims, I ask the person to propose a *mechanism* by which it could happen.

As for cats being zone-barometers, I can see where that wive's tale would come from, since cats naturally sleep about 12 hrs per day. Obviously, they must know something about the good sleep zones, right?

[Soapy Sam]

Nonsense apart, it's plausible that moving the bed may help you sleep better- maybe it reduces noise or ambient light, slightly, for example.
Some folk feel uneasy sleeping with their back to the door- there may be no hard, causative reason, but there may be a psychological one..
I'm not saying the zone idea holds water, merely that keeping your wife happy in bed may be more important than winning this particular point.

[Jaggy Bunnet]

So, just wait for the cat to fall asleep and you know where the Zone is.

Well based on the cat I used to have, the Zone includes the greenhouse, any sunny spots near a window when its sunny outside, in front of the fire, on top of the radiators, in the airing cupboard on top of the hot water tank and wherever in the bed the hot water bottle happens to be.

I struggled for years to try and find something they all had in common, so it is good to know the real reason - they all happened to be located in the Zone.

[Minkster]

I am also oddly convinced that I have far more vivid dreams when I lay on one side rather than the other (as in when I am laying on my right side). Appreciate that theres probably nothing in science to back that up but it does seem almost routinely co-incidental that I sleep far better on my left side and don't wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of Uri Geller in a frock...

[Kilgore Trout]

I had heard, ages ago, that the best way to arrange your bed was to have your head north and feet south. But then I looked here (http://www.yarzheit.com/heavensregister/11fengshui.htm), and found out that's only partially right and for the young and old. Generally, you want to sleep pointing south, but if you want a fresh start, point east. There's no mention of pointing west, so I can only assume that way is very, very bad.

[sthomson]

Actually, minkster, I can think of a few testable, non-woo reasons why you'd have more vivid dreams while lying on a particular side. I associate "more vivid dreams" with more restless sleep - there may be something happening physiologically or in your environment that's causing you to briefly wake up throughout the night, and that may affect you more if you face a particular direction, or if your head is oriented a certain way.

(I'm just making educated guesses, of course. It could also be completely coincidental)

[Starthinker]

I am also oddly convinced that I have far more vivid dreams when I lay on one side rather than the other (as in when I am laying on my right side). Appreciate that theres probably nothing in science to back that up but it does seem almost routinely co-incidental that I sleep far better on my left side and don't wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of Uri Geller in a frock...

I think it's because one side of your brain is more apt to dream so when you sleep on that side blood will pool on that side giving the correct side more oxygen to dream with. When you sleep on the other side it's starved of oxygen so it doesn't dream as well. Same goes for sleeping on your back (visual cortex is at the back and will thus get more blood) gives you visually rich dreams. Ever have a dream where you can't open your eyes? Were you sleeping on your stomach?

It's just a theory I came up with when I kept detailed dream journals including what I ate or drank before going to bed, position, room temp, and all kinds of things. I kept it up for years, found a few patterns, and now when I want really vivid dreams I know what to do.

[-Fran-]

Well based on the cat I used to have, the Zone includes the greenhouse, any sunny spots near a window when its sunny outside, in front of the fire, on top of the radiators, in the airing cupboard on top of the hot water tank and wherever in the bed the hot water bottle happens to be.

I struggled for years to try and find something they all had in common, so it is good to know the real reason - they all happened to be located in the Zone.

Or:
All over the couch
On the kitchen table
Inside my bookshelf
In the cupboard in the hallway
On top the micro wave
Behind the TV
On the hat rack out in the hallway
On the balcony railing
In any card board box or paper grocery bag left on the floor
In the kitchen sink
In the bathroom hand basin
In any cupboard or drawer left open...

Just to mention a few places any of my three cats considers a comfy place to sleep in. I don't know, but I really don't think I will try to sleep in any of those places myself. :rolleyes:

[eir_de_scania]

A popular woo in Europe is about Curry lines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_radiation
When the lines cross its supposed to be bad for you and cats won't sleep at the intersections. .
I've read that somewhere, too. I still refuse to drag my bed up on the woodshed roof, though. I also read that humans shall avoid to sleep in places dogs like to sleep. That's a relief, I don't want to curl up under my desk, either.

I know about some dogs and cats who are such good friends they sleep in the same basket - don't know what that means!;)

[hipparchia]

Well, it is said that cats actually like to sleep in "negative" places with bad vibes. So, a person should avoid the place where a cat sleeps. A dog on the other hand will sleep in positive places, so you kick out the mutt and take over his fave spot.

Cold sores and stress...actually in Bulgarian the word for cold sore is "stresnitsa", or a "stress sore". Happens during Finals week. There may be some truth to that.

Sleeping on your right side is best, per Petar Deunov, Bulgarian 19-th century woo meister. The left side is acceptable, on the back is to be avoided and sleeping on your tummy means early death and impotence. The spiritually advanced person should fall asleep in one position and never move through the night.

Cats also like to perch on vantage points where they can observe the whole room. So, placing your bed so that you can see the door may make you feel safe.

Russian woo is really thick though...

[DmKrispin]

My cats are always curling up on me. I had one that loved to sleep on my head at night.

OMG, I am the zone!

[Ysidro]

I've been told sleeping on the left side is preferable.....

for those with acid reflux. ;)

[DmKrispin]

I've been told sleeping on the left side is preferable.....

for those with acid reflux. ;)

That worked for me until I started taking an acid reduction medicine. Now, I have no heartburn at all ... ever. :)


Also, it's left side for farting, right side for burping. Don't ask me how I know this.

[Denver]

That sounds familiar to some of the stuff Carlos Castaneda wrote, which included both a good spot and a bad spot in every room. Castaneda was told by his teacher one evening to find his spot. After trying lots of things, he finally fell asleep. And was told in the morning that where he fell asleep was the spot. It was never clear whether he had found the spot before falling asleep, or by falling asleep there, he sort of made it his spot.

[hipparchia]

Castaneda should have used a cat...or a dog. Unless they apply to bad spots ONLY in Eastern Europe? And in Southeastern Europe kitty and doggy signals are the other way around, let's not forget.