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People Share Little Known Facts That Could Save Your Life

People Share Little Known Facts That Could Save Your Life
tookapic/Pixabay

Random bits of knowledge may seem pretty useless most of the time, but you never know when they might be useful.


Reddit user u/clomsyclose asked:

"Reddit, what's an "unknown" fact that could save your life?"

20.

People having seizures cannot swallow their tongue. Do not put anything in their mouth.

Edit: this is my most upvoted comment thanks everyone!!!

-easybork

19.

A good way to detect if somebody is having a stroke is to have them repeat a sentence back to you. A good sentence that everybody should be able to do is, "Hello, My name is [name] and today is Friday Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to Die." If it's slurred, get some medical attention real quick.

Edit: More Signs of a Stroke here!

-batchloo1

18.

I saw on a popular talk show once, that a guy known for self defense and such-, teaches it- had had an epiphany. After watching a toddler throw a tantrum to get candy, and then he wrapped himself around a pole of some sort. He said he watched the grown ass adult (mom) could not get her child off. And it was very noticing for the public that something strange was going on.

So he says he then taught that you can try to wrap yourself around any convenient 'pole' or similar structure. You can wrap yourself around the legs of a kidnapper, esp on the street. He says you can be forced into a van or vehicle quite quickly, unnoticeable. But this behavior is noticeable. Esp with screaming or fussing. And dayum impossible to get you off. (Even just being deadweight can be useful. Let all of your body go limp.)

-SilverWings002

17.

Not for people but still. Raisins, grapes and avocados are just as bad if not worse for dogs than chocolate. I did not learn this until 6 months after I got my first puppy.

-thxxx137

16.

There is a symptom that is a general feeling of "something is wrong" and "I need help"

If you ever have that feeling without being able to point out the reason (it's not just I have an ache or having a panic attack), listen to it.
I was at work and from one moment to the next decided I had to go home... so I did. It was a 2 hour trip with public transport and about an hour in I decided I had to go to the hospital, not home. So I did.

I had multiple pulmonary thromboses but no symptoms at all except for that one, in the hospital for ten days, on anti coagulants ever since. listening to my weird body signals saved my life.

-Aeri73

15.

Don't leave ice packs on wounds or swelling for more than 15 minutes at a time to avoid irreversible nerve damage! Hot packs are no more than 20 minutes at a time to avoid burns. Leave both off for 15-30 minutes, too.

-Cyanide_Kitty101

14.

If someone is in a serious motorcycle/bicycle/ etc accident DO NOT remove their helmet. Only a trained professional should do this.

-perfect_for_maimimg

"They probably can't breathe!"

"Yes, they probably can't do a lot of things. Such as support the weight of their head because their spine is broken. Leave the helmet."

-fresh_cucumbers

Yeah, the first thing people will do during an emergency is panic. If you're first on scene as a bystander, the best thing you can do is NOT panic and delegate tasks...tell an individual to call 911, another one or two to be on crowd control.

Never try to do something you haven't been trained on, but never blame yourself when something goes wrong. If you get to the point where CPR is necessary, know that that person has like 5% chance of making it anyway...

-perfect_for_maiming

13.

We get cranky about red eye reflex in photos, but seeing that red reflection in a flash photo is good: that's light bouncing off the nice red back of your eye and back out the pupil. If you see the pupil reflecting white in a picture of a human — especially in children — get them to an eye doctor fast. (If no reflection, no worries, that's also normal.)

White reflection (in a human eye) means that either the retina has turned white, say, from loss of blood, or that there is something else in the eye in front of the retina that is reflecting instead. Either is very bad, but if there is "something else in the eye reflecting white" it's unfortunately good odds that it's cancer in the eye. Eye cancer is VERY bad since the eye connects to the brain by the optic nerve; if cancer isn't caught quickly it can go up the optic nerve to the brain, and cancer metastasized to the brain has poor chance of survival.

I had someone send me a pic asking if that was it, and realized I wasn't completely clear: pinpoint reflections off the front of the eye are normal — think of cartoon eyes with that little spot of white reflection in the black pupil. The red or white reflex off the back of the eye generally fills the whole pupil. Wikipedia has a good pic showing all three reflections.

-quta5

12.

If you get caught in a rip current and dragged out towards sea, don't try to swim against it, swim parallel to the beach til you get out of the current and then make your way to shore.

Or better yet, if you see one narrow section of the water that's unusually still (as in there's a visible break in the middle of a wave) don't swim in it (edit: the reason is that this is how you identify the rip current in the first place)

-ExplodedOrchestra

11.

The best defense against an aggressive bear is to get some sort of large object, like a large tree, or car, and just keep moving around it keeping it between you and the bear until they get bored and leave. Bears are WAY faster than people in straight aways but cannot maneuver around the object as quickly due to how big they are. Do not try and climb the tree, just keep it between you and them. this is known as "the squirrel defense". Now if there are TWO bears....

-Mandorism

10.

Probably said already but....bad CPR is better than no, even if you're unskilled. You literally cannot make the person more dead, as being dead is what predicates CPR.

If you have a puncture wound to the chest or abdomen, the first thing you should do is place a non porous(think plastic bag) object over the wound, it will help prevent tension pneumothorax.

A tourniquet is quite simple to put on and can save a life if there is no other option. Place close to the site or near (not on) a joint. NEVER remove a tourniquet once placed, as clots can travel to the brain and lungs. Also mark the time you put it on.

If you're at an accident scene and have no medical training, something you can do is collect information and help calm victims. This is quite helpful as it assists the paramedics with triage and keeps potential injured persons heart rates down. Alternatively, learn how to hold C-spine.

If your car ever gets stuck on the train tracks, look for a sign on the crossing arms, this is the "railway 911" and has a number to call to stop traffic as well as your exact location.

If you've been cut deeply pack gauze into the wound as tightly as possible then hold pressure.

If you are driving in inclement weather pay attention to truckers, they are often warned ahead of time of wrecks and things due to their radios. Also never drive in the rain without headlights!!

-TimeZoneBandit

9.

This is a New Zealand specific one, but all emergency numbers work here. The official number is 111. But 999,000,911, etc. will all work. This is so that tourists can still reach emergency services easily.

-inglepinks

8.

If you smell a fish smell in your house (some people also report a urine like smell) for no reason, 9 times out of 10 it means there's an Electrical Fire.

-BulletproofVendetta

7.

If you either

a. have a longstanding alcohol problem,

b. show any signs of alcohol withdrawal when you go too long without drinking

Do not attempt to quit drinking without medical assistance. Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal.

-crankyweasels

And if you can't or don't want to use a rehab, ask your doctor to help you. They are more than happy to assist you tapering off and dry up safely. So many people don't know how dangerous alcohol is. My dad nearly died twice because he tried quitting by himself.

-space_is_noisy

6.

If someone is stabbed or punctured by a sharp object, leave it inside.

Do not – absolutely do not – try to pull it out! Leave the object in until help arrives.

Pulling it out will only double the damage: the object can considerably reduce and stop the flow of blood by exerting pressure on the injured area. The moment you pull it out, blood flow is likely to increase.

-Back2Bach

5.

If you are being followed by someone, the best chance you have at deterring the person pursuing you is to turn around and yell firmly at them "What do you want!" whilst getting the best description of their face. This will help people that are around you know where you are whilst hopefully scaring the creep off as they will most likely realise that you have seen their face and know that they are following you. To make sure someone is following you, take a few random turns (avoid alleyways and dark areas, try to get to populated spots) and if they are still there go for gold.

-CharmingAdvertising2

4.

Rescuing a drowning person can be just as dangerous as drowning. That drowning person is completely panicked and has only one goal: get air down air pipe, and a desperate drownee will do ANYTHING to obtain it: that includes climbing on top of a perfectly able swimmer and submerging them underwater to get their own head above water.

Know your limits. If you yourself are a poor swimmer or the water conditions aren't favourable (strong currents, rough waves, murky water), don't attempt rescue. Immediately contact emergency services and throw something that floats at the drowning person. If you do feel confident to perform rescue AND the water conditions are favourable to your abilities, make sure you take something that floats with you so you can immediately hand it to the drowning person before they latch onto you. If they attempt to make a grab at you, immediately kick away (feet should be pointing towards to the victim), and thrust the flotation aid at them. If they still attempt to grab at you, keep kicking away until they calm down or even pass out. Better only 1 person to rescue than 2.

Trying to punch a drowning person is completely outdated and not only further endangers the person you are trying to rescue, but puts you at risk as well. As current and trained lifeguards have already commented: if a drowning person grabs you, swim down further underwater until they release you. Remember the only goal of a drowning person is to be able to breath and stop water getting in their lungs. If you are pulling them underwater with you that goal can't be achieved and they'll let go of you.

-LittlestSlipper55

3.

If you get kidnapped try to leave as many traces of yourself behind as you can. For example leave bits of clothing behind or scratch your arms a lot to leave dead skin behind. This way you increase your chances that a search dog could pick up your sent and find you.

-Prince_Pollo

If someone's trying to kidnap you, your chance of survival drops by 50% once you get in a vehicle and even more once you reach a destination.

-MadroxKran

2.

Never give an unconscious diabetic insulin. Please. It’s quite likely to kill them

-ShapesOfKindness

Yes, this. I'm a type 1 diabetic and that's the last thing you'd want to do.

If a diabetic is unconscious and it's due to the diabetes, it's because of low blood glucose. Insulin is used to lower blood glucose as usually that's what the body naturally does, but for diabetics it's not the case.

The right thing to do is search whatever they have with them as they'll likely have a red plastic case which resembles a small pencil box (picture below) Inside will be a syringe and a vial with a white substance in it (picture also seen below). You want to inject the syringe into the vial, empty the contents of the syringe into it, remove the needle and shake the vial violently (but be careful not to drop it), reinsert the needle and draw the contents, and finally inserting it in the back of their arm (the tricep area) or next to the bellybutton on either side, whichever is easier to get to.

(Image of case) https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/_layouts/15/healthwise/media/medical/hw/h9991447_003_pi.jpg

(Image of inside of the case, with instruction pictures) https://i.pinimg.com/originals/26/c9/5c/26c95c05bf1fc6768970c7a0cfc78e86.png

Edit: I was unaware of this, but you can inject the syringe through clothing, so the butt and thighs are also good spots for injection.

2nd edit: Diabetics can be unconscious due to high glucose, but if you're in a situation where you are unsure if they are high or low, it's safer to assume they are low and use the glucagon as the majority of the time it is due to them being low. I just thought I should add this just for information's sake.

-Kolonby

1.

That whole waiting 48 hours to report someone missing is total BS. If someone is missing, especially a child, report it asap. Make sure your family knows, and it could save your life.

-sy029

Jobs That Seem Easy But Are Actually Incredibly Challenging

Reddit user CeleryLover4U asked: 'What's a job or profession that seems easy, but is incredibly challenging?'

Woman stressed at work
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

When we hear about other people's jobs, we've surely all done that thing where we make assumptions about the work they do and maybe even judge them for having such an easy or unimportant job.

But some jobs are much harder than they look.

Redditor CeleryLover4U asked:

"What's a job or profession that seems easy but is incredibly challenging?"

Customer Service

"Anything customer-facing. The public is dumb and horrendous."

- gwarrior5

"My go-to explanation is, 'Anyone can do it, but few can do it for long.'"

- Conscious_Camel4830

"The further I get in my corporate career, the less I believe I will ever again be capable of working a public-facing job. I don’t know how I did it in the past. I couldn’t handle it in the present."

"I know people are only getting worse about how they treat workers. It is disturbing, embarrassing, and draining for everyone."

- First-Combination-12

High Stakes

"A pharmacist."

"You face the public. Your mistake can literally kill someone."

- VaeSapiens

"Yes, Pharmacist. So many people think their job is essentially the same as any other kind of retail worker and they just prepare prescriptions written by a doctor without having to know anything about them."

"They are very highly trained in, well, pharmacology; and it's not uncommon for a pharmacist to notice things like potentially dangerous drug interactions that the doctor hadn't."

- Worth_University_884

Teaching Woes

"Two nuggets of wisdom from my mentor teacher when I was younger:"

"'Teaching is the easiest job to do poorly and the hardest job to do well,' and 'You get to choose two of the following three: Friends, family, or being a good teacher. You don't have enough time to do all three.'"

"We all know colleagues or remember teachers who were lazy and chose the easy route, but any teacher who is trying to be a good teacher has probably sacrificed their friends and their sleep for little pay and a stressful work environment. There's a reason something like half quit the profession within the first five years."

- bq87

Creativity Is "Easy"

"Some creative professions, such as designers, are often perceived as 'easy' due to their creative nature. However, they may face the constant need to find inspiration, deal with criticism, and meet deadlines."

- rubberduckyis

"EVERYBODY thinks they are a designer, up until the point of having to do the work. But come critique time, mysteriously, EVERYBODY IS A F**KING DESIGNER AGAIN."

"The most important skill to have as a designer is THICK SKIN."

- whitepepper

Care Fatigue Is Real

"Care work."

"I wish it could be taken for granted that no one thinks it's easy. But unfortunately, many people still see it as an unskilled job and have no idea of the many emotional complexities, or of how much empathy, all the time, is needed to form the sorts of relationships with service users that they really need."

- MangoMatiLemonMelon

Physical Labor Generally Wins

"I’m going to say most types of unskilled labor and that’s because there’s such little (visible) reward and such a huge amount of bulls**t. I’ve done customer service, barista, sales, serving, etc; and it was all much harder than my cushy desk job that actually can be considered life or death."

- anachronistika

Their Memory Banks Must Be Wild

"I don't know if I'd call it incredibly challenging, but being one of those old school taxi drivers who know the city like the back of his hand and can literally just drive wherever being told nothing but an address is pretty impressively skilled."

"Not sure if it's still like this, but British cabbies used to be legendary for this. I'm 40 and I don't think most young people appreciate how much the quality of cab service has gone down since the advent of things like Uber."

"Nowadays it's just kind of expected that a rideshare/cab driver doesn't know exactly where you're trying to get and has to rely on GPS directions that they often f up. Back when I was in college, cabbies were complete experts on their city."

"More even than knowing how to get somewhere, they could also give you advice. You could just generally describe a type of bar/club/business you're looking for, and they'll take you right to one that was spot on. Especially in really big cities like NYC."

- Yak-Mak-5000

Professional Cooking

"Being a chef."

- Canadian_bro7

"I would love to meet the person who thinks being a chef is easy! I cook my own food and it’s not only OK to eat but I make a batch of it so I have some for later. So, to make food that is above good and portion it correctly many times a day and do it consistently with minimal wastage (so they make a profit), strikes me as extremely difficult."

- ChuckDeBongo

Team Leading, Oof

"Anything that involves a lot of people skills and socializing. I thought these positions were just the bulls**t of sitting in meetings all day and not a lot of work happening but having to be the one leading those meetings and doing public speaking is taxing in a way I didn’t realize."

- Counterboudd

Not a Pet Sitter At All

"Veterinary Technician."

"Do the job of an RN, anesthesiology tech, dental hygienist, radiology tech, phlebotomist, lab tech, and CNA, but probably don’t make a living wage and have people undervalue your career because you 'play with puppies and kittens all day.'"

- forthegoddessathena

Harder Than It Looks!

"Sometimes, when my brain is fried from thinking and my ego is shot from not fixing the problem, I want to be a garbage man... not a ton of thinking, just put the trash in the truck, and a lot of them have trucks that do it for you!"

"But if the robot either doesn't work or you don't have one on your truck, it smells really bad, the pay isn't what it used to be, you might find a dead body and certainly find dead animal carcasses... and people are id**ts, overfilling their bags, just to have them fall apart before you get to the truck, not putting their trash out and then blaming you, making you come back out."

"Your body probably is sore every day, and you have to take two baths before you can kiss your wife..."

"Ehh, maybe things are not so bad where I am."

- Joebroni1414

Twiddling Thumbs and Listening

"Therapist here. I’ve always said that it’s pretty easy to be an okay therapist—as in, it’s not that hard to listen to people’s problems and say, 'Oh wow, that’s so hard, poor you.'"

"But to be a good therapist? To know when your client is getting stuck in the same patterns, or to notice what your client isn’t saying? To realize that they’re only ever saying how amazing their spouse is, and to think, 'Hmm, nobody’s marriage is perfect, something’s going on there'?"

"To be able to ask questions like, 'Hey, we’ve been talking a lot about your job, but what’s going on with your family?' And then to be able to call them on their s**t, but with kindness and empathy? Balancing that s**t is hard."

"Anybody can have empathy, but knowing when to use empathy and when and how to challenge someone is so much harder. And that’s only one dimension of what makes being a therapist challenging."

- mylovelanguageiswine

Constant Updates

​"For the most part, my job is really easy (marketing tech). But having to constantly stay on top of new platforms, new tech, updates, etc etc is exhausting and overwhelming and I really hate it."

"Also, the constant responsibility to locate and execute opportunities to optimize things and increase value for higher-ups. Nobody in corporate roles can ever just reach a point of being 'good enough.' More and better is always required."

"Just some of the big reasons I’m considering a career change."

- GlizzyMcGuire_

Performing Is Not Easy

"Performing arts and other types of art. People think it’s a cakewalk or 'not a real job,' not realizing the literal lifetime of training, rejection, and perseverance that it takes to reach a professional level and how insanely competitive those spaces are."

- ThrowRA1r3a5

All About Perception

"I suspect everything fits this. Consider that someone whose job is stacking boxes in a warehouse has to know how to lift boxes, how many can be stacked, know if certain ones must be easily accessible, know how to use any equipment that is used to move boxes around."

"Not to mention if some have hazardous or fragile materials inside, if some HAVE to be stacked on the bottom, if a mistake is made and all the boxes have to be restacked, etc."

"But everyone else is like, 'They're just stacking boxes.'"

- DrHugh

It's easy to make assumptions about someone else's work and responsibilities when we haven't lived with performing those tasks ourselves.

This gave us some things to think about, and it certainly reminded us that nothing good comes of making assumptions, especially when it minimizes someone else's experiences.

Left-handed person holding a Sharpie
Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash

Many of us who are right-handed never even think about how the world is designed to cater to us.

It probably doesn't even cross your mind that 10% of the world's population is left-handed.

Because of this, there tends to be a stigma for being left-handed since society tends to associate the left with negative things.

For example, the phrase "two left feet" applies to those who are clumsy and therefore, incapable of dancing.

Curious to hear more about the challenges facing those with the other dominant hand, Redditor johnnyportillo95 asked:

"What’s something left-handed people have to deal with that right-handed people wouldn’t even think about?"

If only manufacturers appealed to an ambidextrous world.

Furniture Obstacle

"Those desks or couch chairs that have a small desk attached. They do make left handed/sided ones but they are few and far between."

– Prussian__Princess

"And they’re only on one side of the lecture hall, and it’s never a good seat. There is ONE front row, lefty desk in the entire room and it’s in the far corner, obscured by an ancient overhead projector."

– earwighoney

Everyday Objects For Everyday People

"as a left-handed person myself, one thing we often deal with is finding left-handed tools or equipment. many everyday objects, like scissors or can openers, are designed with right-handed people in mind, which can make certain tasks a bit more challenging for us lefties. we also have to adapt to a right-handed world when it comes to writing on whiteboards or using certain computer mice."

– J0rdan_24

Dangerous Tools

"The biggest risk is power tools. I taught myself to use all power tools right handed because of risks using them left handed."

"Trivial, I love dry boards but they are super hard to write on."

– diegojones4

It's hard to play when you're born with a physical disadvantage.

Sports Disadvantage

"Allright, Sports when you are young. Every demonstration from PE teachers are right handed. You cant just copy the movements they teach you you need to flip them and your tiny brain struggoes to process it. As well, 98% of the cheap sports equipment the school uses is right handed."

– AjCheeze

No Future In Softball

"I tried to bat right handed for so long in gym class growing up because the gym teacher never asked me what my dominant side was and the thought never occurred to me as a child to mention it! Needless to say I never became a softball star."

– Leftover-Cheese

Find A Glove That Fits

"In softball and baseball we need a specific glove for our right hand that's often impossible to find unless you own one, and we have to bat on the other side of the plate."

– BowlerSea1569

"I was one of two left-handers in a 4-team Little League in the 1980s. Nobody could pitch to me. I got a lot of "hit by pitch" walks out of it."

– Jef_Wheaton

These examples are understandably annoying.

Shocking Observation

"Having right handed people make comments whenever they see us write, like we’re some kind of alien."

– UsefulIdiot85

"'Woah! You're left-handed????'"

"I find myself noticing when someone is a lefty, and sometimes I comment on it, but I try not to. I'm primarily left-handed (im a right handed wroter but do everything else left), and every single time I go to eat with my family, someone says, "Oh hey, give SilverGladiolus22 the left hand spot, they're left-handed," and inevitably someone says, 'Wait, really?' Lol."

– SilverGladiolus22

Can't Admire The Mug

"We never get to look at the cute graphics on coffee mugs while we’re drinking from them."

– vanetti

"I just realized…I always thought the graphics were made so someone else could read them while you drink. Hmmm."

– Bubbly-Anteater7345

"I'm right-handed and I often wondered why the graphics were turned towards the drinker instead of out for others to see."

– Material-Imagination

The Writing On The Wall

"Writing on whiteboards is a nightmare. I have to float my hand, which tires out my arm quickly, and I can't see what I've already written to keep the line straight."

– darkjedi39

"Also as a teacher, it means I'm standing to the left of where I'm writing, so I'm blocking everything I write. I have to frequently finish writing, then step out of the way so people can see, instead of just being able to stand on the right side the whole time."

– dancingbanana123

Immeasurable

"Rulers."

"How the f'k is no one talking about rulers? It's from 30cm to 0 cm to me, or I have to twist my arms to know the measure I want to trace over it."

– fourangers

Just Can't Win

"EVERYTHING. The world has always been based around people being right handed. As a Chef, my knife skills SUCKED until I worked with a Left Handed Chef. Then it all made sense."

"Literally, everything we do must be observed, then flipped around in our heads, then executed. This is why Lefties die sooner, on average, than Righties."

"I had to learn how to be ambidextrous, just to complete basic tasks (sports, driving a manual, using scissors, etc). I am used to it now, and do many things right handed out of necessity, as wall as parents and teachers 'forcing' it upon me."

"But, at least we are not put to death anymore, simply for using the wrong hand (look it up, it happened)."

"Ole Righty, always keeping us down."

– igenus44

The world doesn't need another demographic to feel "othered" for being different.

But if you're right-handed and tend to make assumptions about left-handed people, you may want to observe the following.

Ronald Yeo, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Texas-Austin told CNN:

"We shouldn’t assume much about people’s personalities or health just because of the hand they write with."
"And we certainly shouldn’t worry about lefties’ chances of success: After all (as of 2015), five of our last seven U.S. presidents have been either left- or mixed-handed."

Word.

Dog lying down on a bed
Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash

Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.

While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.

Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.

Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.

For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.

Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:

"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"

The Tiny Issue Of Water...

"Absolutely not."

"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649

Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...

"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."

"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."

"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."

"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep

The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...

"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."

"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3

Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen Giphy

What Do You Mean Allow?

"I have no choice."

"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412

"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show

Hug GIF by The BarkPost Giphy

Who Needs An Alarm Clock?

"I let my two cats sleep with me."

"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."

"And so do I."

"We've all developed a lil routine."

"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_

Whose Bed Is It Anyway?

"Yes."

"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."

"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor

"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."

"Would not come out."

"Got some food and some water in dishes."

"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."

"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."

"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."

"She was too busy eating."

"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."

"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."

"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."

"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."

"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."

"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."

"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."

"She would not go."

"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."

"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588

sleepy kitten GIF Giphy

Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...

"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."

"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."

"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle

Saying No Just Isn't An Option...

"'Let'."

"Lol."

"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren

Felines Only!

"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz

Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official Giphy

Is That My Hair On That Pillow?

"My dog is perfect."

"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."

"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."

"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester

It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.

Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...


Close up of an owl tilting their head to side, looking bewildered
Photo by Josh Mills

The old wives' tales.

They are the stories of legend.

I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.

Where did they originate?

WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!

You don't hear about them as much anymore.

It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.

But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.

Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:

"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"

"Wait an hour to swim after eating."

What a crock!

So many summer hours wasted.

I want revenge for that one.

Say Nothing

Giphy

"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."

LonelyMail5115

"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."

I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA

Say Something

"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."

Severe_Airport1426

"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."

crappycurtains

"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."

AlbinoShavedGorilla

Body Temps

"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."

chriseo22

"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."

"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."

apocalypticradish

Arms Down

"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."

Fatmouse84

10 Years Actually

Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine Giphy

"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."

REDDIT

"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."

Gecko-911

I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.

This tale is haunting.

High/Low

Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & Grace Giphy

"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."

LeastFormal9366

"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."

IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI

The Cursed

"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."

"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."

SmoreOfBabylon

Stay In

"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."

"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."

worldbound0514

Dreams and Facts

"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."

"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."

mattshonestreddit

"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."

Darthdemented

Cracked

Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The Office Giphy

"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."

Choice-Grapefruit-44

"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."

MacyTmcterry

I love my knuckles.

Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.