Some scientists did some calculations of how much biomass spiders consume every year. It is more than the biomass of all the humans on Earth. This probably won't help people be less afraid of spiders. Analysis | Spiders could theoretically eat every human on Earth in one year
You surely meant this in jest, as there is no scientific evidence that humans swallow spiders while sleeping. Fact or Fiction? People Swallow 8 Spiders a Year While They Sleep
I recall reading somewhere that spiders eat something like 90% of all the insects, and without spiders humans would be extinct within a year due to widespread insect-related disease and famine. I read this a long-time ago and so can't back it up with a source, but something worth thinking about. Hix
Spiders are awesome. They seriously need some better PR. Zoos could help a lot probably, but don't do much usually.
Like Hix, i can't recall the details, but I remember reading years ago that spiders eat more meat per year than all the carnivores in Africa put together. Though minus man I assume .
Here is a greatest hits album of spiders eating vertebrates: A Brief History Of Unexpected Things Spiders Have Been Caught Eating Hopefully they will never develop a taste for humans...