![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/do-people-really-swallow-spiders-in-their-sleep/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/130646981_gettyimages-184796957.jpg&description=Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Assuming you don't gulp one down one on purpose, is it likely you can swallow a spider unintentionally in your sleep? "There was an old lady who swallowed a spider that wriggled, and jiggled and tickled inside her..." According to the rhyme and song, the unfortunate woman swallowed the arachnid to catch a fly she had previously eaten - followed by a number of other creatures in an attempt to solve the original issue. But... let's concentrate on the spider. Assuming you don't gulp one down on purpose, is it likely you can swallow a spider unintentionally in your sleep? Chris Cowsley, a Hertfordshire postal worker, believes he recently did just that . He was taken to hospital last month after waking up recently choking in the early hours. Image source, Chris Cowsley Image caption, Chris Cowsley was told it was likely he had swallowed a spider in his sleep Unable to breathe - and after calling 999 - he said an ambulance paramedic told him it seemed likely his uvula - the fleshy hanging ball at the back of the throat - had been bitten by a spider . His throat swelled up and his breathing was seriously impaired. Mr Cowsley says he thought he "was going to die". The hospital said it was not sure what had caused Mr Cowsley's breathing problems - though a specialist, Mr Cowsley says, did suggest the paramedic's spider bite theory might have merit. The says as natural pest controllers, spiders are "second to none". "They are predators and their main prey are insects, many of which eat our crops and pester our livestock," its website suggests. A study by the University of Basel in Switzerland in 2017 found spiders have an enormous ecological impact as natural enemies of insects. The report states: "With more than 45,000 species and a population density of up to 1,000 individuals per square metre, spiders are one of the world's most species-rich and widespread groups of predators." They calculated that "the global spider population (wi){kind=link}
“There was an old lady who swallowed a spider that wriggled, and jiggled and tickled inside her…”
According to the rhyme and song, the unfortunate woman swallowed the arachnid to catch a fly she had previously eaten – followed by a number of other creatures in an attempt to solve the original issue.
But… let’s concentrate on the spider.
Assuming you don’t gulp one down on purpose, is it likely you can swallow a spider unintentionally in your sleep?
Chris Cowsley, a Hertfordshire postal worker, believes he recently did just that.