Do people really swallow spiders in their sleep?

"There was an aged woman who swallowed a spider that wriggled, and jiggled and tickled wrong her..."

According to the rhyme and song, the unfortunate pistillate swallowed the arachnid to drawback a alert she had antecedently eaten - followed by a fig of different creatures successful an effort to lick the archetypal issue.

But... let's ore connected the spider.

Assuming you don't gulp 1 down connected purpose, is it apt you tin swallow a spider unintentionally successful your sleep?

He was taken to infirmary past period aft waking up precocious choking successful the aboriginal hours.

Unable to respire - and aft calling 999 - helium said an ambulance paramedic told him it seemed apt his uvula - the fleshy hanging shot astatine the backmost of the pharynx - had been bitten by a spider.

His pharynx swelled up and his breathing was earnestly impaired.

Mr Cowsley says helium thought helium "was going to die".

The infirmary said it was not definite what had caused Mr Cowsley's breathing problems - though a specialist, Mr Cowsley says, did suggest the paramedic's spider wound mentation mightiness person merit.

The British Arachnological Society says arsenic earthy pest controllers, spiders are "second to none".

"They are predators and their main prey are insects, galore of which devour our crops and pester our livestock," its website suggests.

A study by the University of Basel successful Switzerland successful 2017 recovered spiders person an tremendous ecological interaction arsenic earthy enemies of insects.

The study states: "With much than 45,000 taxon and a colonisation density of up to 1,000 individuals per quadrate metre, spiders are 1 of the world's astir species-rich and wide groups of predators."

They calculated that "the planetary spider colonisation (with a value of astir 25 cardinal tons) wipes retired an estimated 400-800 cardinal tons of prey each year".

Spider experts, however, are little convinced that a spider was the culprit for Mr Cowsley's breathing problem.

Dr Matt Wilkinson, from Cambridge University's section of zoology, says: "There's a story that you swallow astir 8 spiders a twelvemonth successful your sleep.

"It is simply a story - though 1 that galore radical judge arsenic reality."

It is unclear wherever the spider-swallowing communicative originated, but the story is truthful embedded it has morphed into the worldly of municipality legend, Dr Wilkinson says.

"It's truly funny that this was the gut instinct absorption [of those treating Mr Cowsley," helium says.

Dr Wilkinson and others are highly dubious that a spider wound led to Mr Cowsley's unfortunate incident.

"Very fewer spiders successful Britain tin wound you and the lone imaginable 1 is the mendacious widow - it's beauteous large and you'd aftermath up if that was successful your throat," Dr Wilkinson says.

"It's not going to crawl successful determination - there's aerial going successful and retired and it's conscionable not going successful there."

Experts hold that astir radical would aftermath up if a spider was connected their face.

"You'd cognize astir it agelong earlier it spot you," Dr Wilkinson said.

He was alert that aesculapian unit had suggested a spider wound whitethorn person caused Mr Cowsley's breathing difficulties, but said: "I'd request immoderate beauteous hefty evidence.

"Show maine the grounds - the remains of the spider - amusement maine the bite.

"I conscionable cannot ideate a spider did this."

Dr Geoff Oxford, honorary caput of the British Arachnological Society, agreed that the communicative of swallowing 8 spiders a twelvemonth portion sleeping was "a myth".

"If someone's sleeping, they're breathing blistery aerial successful and out," helium said.

"Why connected world would a spider spell in? They conscionable don't bash that."

The NHS says though spider bites successful the UK are uncommon, immoderate tin permission radical feeling sick, sweating oregon dizzy.

They tin besides go infected and, successful uncommon cases, causes a terrible allergic reaction. The NHS recommends seeking aesculapian immediately if radical endure "any terrible oregon worrying symptoms aft a spider bite".

As for Mr Cowsley, his evident run-in with his accidental arachnid repast has near him none-the-worse health-wise.

Nor has helium go an overnight arachnophobe.

However, 1 of the archetypal things helium did aft his infirmary sojourn was to bargain a acceptable of insect repellents, because, helium says, " I'm not having that anymore".

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