Why do spiders bite you while you're asleep?

Here's my theory.

For the most part when you sleep you are still. At least still enough to not present an obvious threat. So.....you are warm....have a lot of places to cuddle up to. So they come along and find a nice tight place they regard as safe and will protect them, and might even think it's a good ambush spot for prey.

Then you roll over on top of them, or flop your arm on them.....well, they think they are being attacked so they, maybe out of desperation....bite to try and get you off of them so they aren't hurt.

Hence.....you get bitten.

How Do Spiders Bite You

They don't. Spiders are not bloodsuckers, and have no reason

to bite a sleeping human. Like the bee that will sting in defense,

a spider is only going to bite in defense.(or provocation)

Sadly, doctors are more prone to misidentify spider/insect

bites than anyone.

I have been studying venomous arthropod envenomations

for many years, and I can't tell the difference.

Most bites I have examined (70%) were not even bite related,

but common skin conditions.

To receive a bite while sleeping, one would have to roll

onto a spider that was crawling on the skin. (a very rare event)

This would likely provoke a spider to bite, but there would also be a dead spider in your bed when you woke.

you may find this interesting:

http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/m...

I am a family practice doctor, and it is nearly impossible to tell what bit you by looking at the bite. Most of so-called "spider bites" aren't. An exception is flea bites which are specifically puce in color (comes from the French word for "flea") and along the top of socks, pants waistline, etc. I doubt that spiders are biting in your sleep, unless you have copious insects in your bed for them to eat, in which case those are likely biting you (bedbugs or fleas).

you probably hit them when you move while you're sleeping and then they bite you. (I doubt you wake up in the same exact position as when you went to sleep) I dont think, if it is a spider, that it would just bite you out of the blue. If it is a mosquito though, they will bite you whether you agitate them or not.

I doubt it's spiders. Try bed bugs or fleas.

Give fizixx best answer already.

why are all the answers so dull and short these days?