Sleep 101

Does your overall diet and specific food you eat affect how you sleep? There’s some evidence that eating a balanced diet promotes good shut-eye, but experts say a lot of the details are still unknown.

If you’ve ever tossed and turned in bed after a spicy meal gave you reflux or some deep-fried food gave you gas, you know that your food choices can mess with your sleep in some very direct ways.

But is there enough scientific evidence for doctors to ...

New apps and devices can highlight our sleep deficits, but what’s next?

Sleep technology at this week’s Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas highlights the ways that we can be smarter about how we slumber.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one-third of U.S. adults aren’t getting enough sleep at night. Sleep disorders affect about 70 million Americans and can include issues like insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome.

A good night’s sleep isn’t just about feeling ...

The new data shows students get more sleep and report having more time to do their schoolwork when the first bell of the day is later.

The idea that middle school and high school students will do better in school if they get more sleep and aren’t chronically sleep-deprived sounds pretty intuitive, right? A growing body of research suggests one way to achieve this is to push school start times later.

The evidence led the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) to ...

Learn what factors affect how well you sleep, and what you can do to make sure you get the restful and deep sleep your body and mind need for you to be at your best.

the wailing siren of a passing fire truck doesn’t disturb their slumber. Just why, though, remains a bit of a mystery.

Although many people are self-proclaimed light sleepers or heavy sleepers, researchers have found that little is actually known about why people react differently to noises and ...

It is becoming more and more obvious that stress plays a major role in insomnia. The development of insomnia is largely determined by how we react to stress — both psychologically and physically. In fact, many people experience transient insomnia, insomnia that lasts for a short period of time, after a stressful event. However, for some of us, stressors such as illness, work schedule changes, and interpersonal conflict can lead to chronic insomnia.

How Does Stress Affect Our Sleep?

We know ...

Not sleeping well? Age-related insomnia is not something you should ignore.

Do you find yourself waking up earlier than you did in your 20s and 30s? Some older adults don’t mind rising at the crack of dawn. Others, however, complain of constant fatigue — especially if pain or chronic conditions are preventing them from falling asleep or forcing them to get up in the middle of the night.

It’s a myth that older adults need less sleep than young adults: Seniors still ...

Stop the tossing and turning! Try these snooze-friendly tips.

Why You Should Prioritize Sleep

When responsibilities mount, sleep is the first thing to drop off the priority list. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 3 in 10 people are getting 6 or less hours of sleep. And that’s a problem since experts argue that getting adequate zzz’s is as important to health and well-being as diet and exercise. If you have a hard time falling ...

The number of hours of sleep you need to stay healthy and alert differs according to your age.

Sure, you’re eating your vegetables and fruits and squeezing in exercise at least 20 minutes a day, but are you getting enough sleep, too? The latest sleep recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation may make you want to think twice about skimping on essential shut-eye. Sleep is key to your physical health and emotional vitality, but just how many hours of sleep you ...

Some parents have resorted to turning off the Wi-Fi to help their kids get better rest.

It’s no secret that teenagers like to stay up late and then rush around like mad in the morning to get ready for school. Then, they probably spend a chunk of the weekend catching up on sleep. But what drives these teen sleep habits?

One common explanation is that in our hunter-gatherer days, teenagers took over the night-owl watch period of keeping the group safe, ...

Research suggests there’s a connection between a healthy gut and healthy sleep, but it’s not yet clear whether interventions to improve one can help the other.

The gut microbiome is the community of trillions of bacteria that reside inside every person’s digestive tract. And during the past decade, research into the microbiome and its role in human health has been one of the hottest and most revelatory areas of medical science.

It seems like every week, a new study offers fresh insights ...