The Blue Part Of The Eraser Is Not For Erasing Pen Marks. Here’s What It’s For.

We have all used this bi-color eraser back in our primary school days, didn’t we? We’re used to thinking that the blue part of the red-blue eraser is used for erasing pen ink. But has it ever worked? Didn’t we all end up with torn pages after a vigorous attempt of trying to erase whatever we wrote down using a pen?

This information might not be life-changing, but it’s little-know (and totally fun) trivia nonetheless. So read on to find out the real purpose of those double-sided eraser. Once you realize the truth, make sure to tell your kids.

The pink part is actually the delicate part of the eraser so it can be used to erase pencil marks on light paper which will tear easily. The blue part of the eraser was intended for erasing pencil marks on thicker and rougher textures like cards or grainy art paper, hence the rough and grainy texture of the eraser.

It would require you to use more force to erase something written on these rough paper if you’re using a normal eraser (the pink part). That is the real reason for the blue side of the eraser–to easily rub away pencil marks on thicker material with rough textures.

If Your Body Suddenly Jerks While Falling Asleep, THIS is What It Means.

Have you ever woken up with a jerk as if been thrown into your bed? Or fallen from a virtually enormous height onto your bed? These are known as “hypnic jerks” or “sleep start” and as many as 70% of people experience them from time to time. This parasomnia occurs only during the hypnagogic state, the transitional period between wakefulness and sleep.

SO WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?

This phenomenon is extremely common, but surprisingly, scientists are only just now beginning to understand what causes this. You may think that perhaps something loud happened in the room and that it woke you up, but this is not necessarily the case.

Scientists noticed that “hypnic jerk” occurs most commonly when you fall asleep very quickly from major exhaustion. In the initial stages of sleep, your heart rate and breathing slow down quickly. But sometimes when you are extremely exhausted, the brain proceeds through this stage of sleep too quickly, confusing itself into thinking that the body and its major systems are failing and you are dying.

The body quickly responds by jolting you awake with a burst of chemicals, one that the brain might interpret, and then build a dream designed to wake you up, which is the basic premise behind the theory of the ‘hypnic jerk.’

Some scientists also believe certain factors, such as stress, anxiety, fatigue, caffeine and sleep deprivation, may increase the frequency or severity of hypnagogic jerks. Luckily, there’s nothing to be worried about hypnic jerks because they are nothing serious. If one wakes you up, simply roll over and go back to sleep.