Sleep 101

The invention of the electroencephalograph allowed scientists to study sleep in ways that were not previously possible. During the 1950s, a gradate student named Eugene Aserinsky used this tool to discover what is known today as REM sleep. Further studies of human sleep have demonstrated that sleep progresses through a series of stages in which different brain wave patterns are displayed.

There are two main types of sleep:

The Beginnings of Sleep

During the earliest phases of sleep, you are still relatively awake ...

The science of sleep is a modern one – in fact most scientific information on sleep has been gained in the last 25 years. This is a list of 20 very interesting facts about sleep.

White men are the earliest risers — except on weekends (when black women beat them out of bed by 52 minutes)

Sleep is an increasingly precious commodity in today’s America. Although doctors recommend a solid eight-hours, a new study by the National Sleep Foundation reports that one in three Americans sleep fewer than six hours a night. Intriguingly, when it comes to getting a good night’s rest, some ethnic groups fare better than others. Here, a by-the-numbers breakdown of who’s sleepless ...

On average, Americans get far less sleep than we need. Are we choosing TV and the internet over sex and Zzz’s?

Americans are too tired to go out and socialize, too tired to work, and even too tired for sex, according to a new survey from the National Sleep Foundation. But while the poll results highlight a nation of sleep-deprived adults, they also pull back the curtain on what we’re doing, collectively and by race, instead of sleeping. Here’s a look ...

Medical researchers are trying to learn more about sexsomnia — a condition that causes suffers to engage in sex acts while fast asleep

A new study has focused renewed attention on a little-understood sleep disorder known as ‘sexsomnia’:

What is ‘sexsomnia’?

Also known as “sleep sex,” it’s a condition that causes people to engage in sexual activity during the deepest stages of non-REM sleep.

How common is it?

A recent study, presented at the Associated Professional Sleep Studies conference in San Antonio, found that ...

As the summer draws to a drowsy end, here’s a bracing roundup of recent scientific findings about sleep

We’re entering the dog days of August, and sleep is on everyone’s minds — whether it’s a contented siesta on a beachfront sun-lounger, or a nap after a sweaty commute from the office. Luckily, the world’s foremost experts in sleep have been hard at work to better understand our favorite nighttime activity. Here are five noteworthy new findings:

1. “Violent sleepers” are at higher ...

Recent evidence shows that people who thrive at night have higher IQs. Early risers beg to differ

Are you the type who stays up late to finish your work, or do you get up early to make a fresh start on the day? If it’s the former, you may be pleased to learn new research has found that those with higher IQs tend to be nocturnal night-owls. But if it’s the latter, you might have good reason to distrust the claim. ...

German scientists pinpoint a specific gene that may divide early risers from droopy-eyed nappers

Why are some people alert and chipper in the morning while others can barely drag themselves out of bed? New research suggests that genetics may play a role. Specifically, it’s a gene called ABCC9, which scientists have dubbed the “morning person” gene. Here’s what you should know:

How did scientists find this gene?

German scientists studied more than 4,000 people across Europe. The subjects filled out questionnaires on their ...

Sleep Needs Don’t Change as You Age

There is a myth that older people need less sleep. That is simply not true. All adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. As we age, it gets more difficult to get a good night’s sleep. That doesn’t mean we don’t still need seven to nine hours. One of the challenges to healthy aging is troubleshooting sleep to ensure that we are getting enough rest for good health.

Sleep Changes in ...

Sleep has been the subject of speculation and thought since the time of the early Greek philosophers, but only recently have researchers discovered ways to study sleep in a systematic and objective way. The advent of new technology such as the electroencephalograph has allowed scientists to look at and measure electrical patterns and activity produced by the sleeping brain.
While we can now investigate sleep and related phenomena, not all researchers agree on exactly why we sleep. A number of ...