Unwittingly eating spiders in your sleep is every arachnophobe's worst nightmare.

And for those of us not too bothered about the creepy crawlies, munching on one while asleep probably isn't the best of things that can happen when you are tucked up.

Urban myths about the quantity of spiders we're consuming has varied over the years.

Some would have us believe these snacks are pretty infrequent, others state we eat up to EIGHT of the long-leggedy beasties.

 But people who are afraid of these insects can be calm.

According to a scientific publication Scientific American, this is just a myth. Spiders have no interest in entering our mouths while we are sleeping. In the words of the Vice President of the American Society of Aragornologists Bill Shire, these eight-eyed creatures are trying to avoid and get away from our beds.

Spiders prefer to spend time near their prey, and if we do not have small insects in bed, probably there are no spiders.

"We are humans are like huge rocks for spiders," says Sier, "so great we think they are part of the landscape!"

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