The belief that we swallow an average of eight spiders in our sleep every year has become so ingrained in popular culture that many people now accept it as fact. The reality, however, is quite different: we swallow no spiders at all.

Do we eat spiders in our food?

Luckily for all of us, the “fact” that people swallow eight spiders in their sleep yearly isn't true. ... The myth flies in the face of both spider and human biology, which makes it highly unlikely that a spider would ever end up in your mouth.

Can a spider live in your throat?

The chance of that happening is near zero

No matter what generation you grew up in, chances are you heard the rumor that we swallow a certain number of spiders each year as we sleep. The truth is that your chances of swallowing a spider while you're asleep are slim to none.