Mr. Sandman Bring Me a Dream

“Please Mr. Sandman, Bring me a Dream”…. Remember that old song? So, just who is this Mr. Sandman? The Sandman is a well-known character in many children’s stories and the favorite of mothers of little children everywhere. “Time for the Sandman”…”Oh, oh, Mr. Sandman is on the way”

The Sandman comes at night to sprinkle “sand” or “dust” into the eyes of sleepy children (or adults) and send them off to dreamland.


What! You don’t believe me! Didn't you ever wake up in the morning with gritty eyes with maybe a little grain of “something” in the corners? Yep, its Mr. Sandman at work!

Hmmm, you’re too worldly to believe that aren't you. Actually the "sand" is dried mucus secreted from glands near the eye. The mucus helps the eye retain moisture at night and protects it against foreign particles. When you sleep, the closed eyelids retain the moisture allowing the mucus to gather in the corners of the eye. When you wake, the dried mucus feels like sand in your eyes or a little piece of grit in the corner.

And another myth bites the dust!