I’m a spider expert – here is the TRUTH on how many creepy crawlies you swallow in your sleep
A SPIDER expert has revealed the truth about how many creepy crawlies you swallow in your sleep.
Cambridge zoologist Matt Wilkinson said even doctors believe the urban legend that people swallow eight spiders a year while asleep.
He told the BBC: “There’s a myth that you swallow about eight spiders a year in your sleep.
“It is a myth – though one that many people accept as reality.”
Matt spoke out after Chris Cowsley, from Hertfordshire, thought he was “going to die” after he woke up choking in the early hours.
A paramedic told Chris that the back of his throat had probably been bitten by a spider – with a specialist later backing the theory.
Expert Matt said: “It’s really curious that this was the gut instinct reaction.
“Very few spiders in Britain can bite you and the only possible one is the false widow.
“It’s pretty big and you’d wake up if that was in your throat. I just cannot imagine a spider did this.”
It comes after a pest expert warned that unusual summer weather means your house could be invaded by poisonous spiders.
The unseasonable wind and rain this month have sent the eight-legged critters scurrying indoors.
Most spiders are harmless – but among their number is the false widow, the UK’s only poisonous arachnid.
With Brits braced for nine straight days of rain, spiders are also sheltering in warm and dry homes.
The poisonous false widows need somewhere cosy to mate and lay eggs before hibernating over the winter.
False widows have shiny black bodies – with markings which resemble skulls.
A bite from one could leave you with numbness, discomfort, swelling – or even burns and chest pains.
In April 2017 Lancashire mum Gemma Hunter, 41, nearly lost her foot after a false widow left with a 3cm bite.
Alex Beer, 32, spent ten days in hospital in 2015 when a false widow bite made his arm blister and balloon to twice its usual size.
Doctors said the blisters resembled third-degree burns – and that the venom nearly left Alex with kidney failure.
What to do if you get bitten
Here's what to do if you think a poisonous false widow has bitten you:
The first thing you should do is wash the area thoroughly with soap and water to prevent infection – and don’t scratch, as if you break the skin there’s more chance for bacteria to get in.
Cover bites with a plaster and apply an antihistamine sting cream to calm any inflammation or itching, says Stuart Hine, from the Natural History Museum’s identification and advisory service.
Any redness, pain or swelling should subside after three days.
Be alert to potential signs of infection, such as weeping blisters or painful swelling, that continue to get worse after a few days.
If this happens, seek advice from your GP.