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Sleep

The perception of sleep is just as important as the quality of sleep.

Vivid Dreams Might Be Key to Feeling Well Rested When You Wake Up, According to a New Study

The findings could help explain the purpose of dreams and help physicians better treat people with sleep disorders

Though the study describes only a correlational relationship, the findings reinforce the idea that sleep is important for human health. 

Not Getting Enough Sleep? You Might Be Shortening Your Life Span

In the United States, insufficient sleep strongly correlates with life expectancy, even more than diet, exercise or social connections do, a new study suggests

Brainless upside-down jellyfish, like this one in its natural habitat near Eilat, Israel, spend about one-third of their time asleep.

Even Though They Don’t Have Brains to Rest, Jellyfish and Sea Anemones Sleep Like Humans

Sleep may have evolved to help reduce DNA damage in nerve cells long before they became centralized in the brain, a study suggests

Stimulants prescribed for ADHD target the parts of the brain related to wakefulness and reward, shown in yellow and orange, according to a new study.

How Do These ADHD Medications Work in the Brain? The Mechanisms Are Different Than Once Thought, a Study Suggests

Adderall, Ritalin and other stimulants prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder seem to work on brain areas involved with wakefulness and reward, rather than attention

New research strives to understand what happens in the brain at the transitions between sleeping and being awake.

At the Mysterious Boundary Between Waking Life and Sleep, What Happens in the Brain?

Neuroscientists studying the shifts between sleep and awareness are finding many liminal states, which could help explain the disorders that can result when sleep transitions go wrong

A new study suggests blowing into a conch shell helps alleviate obstructive sleep apnea symptoms.

Suffering From Sleep Apnea? Try Blowing Into a Conch Shell Almost Daily, New Study Suggests

Researchers say the practice might provide a simpler and low-cost alternative to the standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, though trials with more participants are needed

Taking a short, deep nap may help you have an "a-ha" moment after you wake up.

Need to Solve a Problem? Try Taking a Deep Power Nap for an ‘Aha’ Moment, Research Suggests

A new study finds that entering N2 sleep—a deep phase of non-rapid eye movement sleep—may help lead to more “eureka” breakthroughs

The glymphatic system moves a clear liquid called cerebrospinal fluid around the brain to flush out toxic proteins accumulated during waking hours.

In a Study on Mice, Scientists Show How the Brain Washes Itself During Sleep

The brain’s waste-removal process is “like turning on the dishwasher,” a neurologist says, but common sleep medications may harm it

Some people are genetically built to require less sleep than the rest of us.

Why Do Some People Thrive on So Little Sleep?

Short sleepers cruise by on four to six hours a night and don’t seem to suffer ill effects

For each bad night of sleep in a one-month period, participants reported feeling three months older, on average, than they really are.

Bad Sleep Can Make You Feel Years Older Than You Really Are, Study Suggests

After just two nights of short sleep, a person’s “subjective age,” or how old they feel, can spike by more than four years

People march in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2021, after police in Louisville, Kentucky, killed Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, the year before. Tawanna Gordon, Taylor's cousin, leads the march.

After Police Kill Unarmed Black People, Black Americans Lose Sleep, Study Finds

New research draws a link between unequal exposure to police violence and lack of sleep for Black adults

While they chew their cud, reindeer brains shift into a state of non-REM sleep.

Reindeer Sleep and Eat Simultaneously, Saving Precious Time in the Short Arctic Summer

While the animals chew their cud, they also enter a state of rest

Scientists surveyed nearly 1,000 U.S. parents during the first half of 2023 to estimate melatonin use among kids.

Melatonin Use Is Rising in U.S. Children, Study Finds

Nearly one in five children under 14 are being given melatonin before bed, according to a survey of about 1,000 parents

Early risers may be able to thank their Neanderthal ancestors.

Neanderthal DNA May Help Explain Why Some People Are Early Risers

A new study finds a link between Neanderthal DNA and modern human genes related to the internal body clock, or circadian rhythm

Chinstrap penguins incubate eggs.

Chinstrap Penguins Sleep Over 10,000 Times a Day—for Just Four Seconds at a Time

The amazing microsleep strategy may be an adaptation to group living and lurking predators in a harsh Antarctic environment

Researchers have found bouts of REM-like activity in cuttlefish.

Do Other Animals Dream?

Researchers are finding signs of multiple phases of sleep all over the animal kingdom, including some that look very much like REM

Pienza's historic city center, which Pope Pius II redesigned in the 15th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This Italian Town Silenced a Historic Bell That Kept Tourists Awake. Now, Locals Can’t Sleep

The bell battle in Pienza, located in Tuscany, is just the latest example of Italy’s tourism troubles

Neuroscientist Eugene Aserinsky attaches electrodes to his son, Armond, who was a frequent subject in his early sleep studies

The Stubborn Scientist Who Unraveled A Mystery of the Night

Fifty years ago, Eugene Aserinksy discovered rapid eye movement and changed the way we think about sleep and dreaming