Why Don’t Americans Get Enough Sleep?

We’re only getting 6.8 hours of sleep a night. Here’s why.

Feeling sleepy? You’re not alone. Americans get less and less sleep every year, a recent Gallup poll found. Today, we average just 6.8 hours a night, less than the doctor-recommended 7-9, and down by over an hour from 1942, when Americans got closer to 8 hours per night.

Why Don’t Americans Sleep Enough?

Reasons why we’re not getting enough sleep abound, but one of the biggest changes behind the sleep decline ...

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SEP
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Sleepless Dangers

Can’t Sleep? That’s Nothing to Brag About

You would never boast about having donuts for breakfast or skipping the gym. So why is it OK to brag about not getting enough sleep?

What do Bill Clinton, Martha Stewart and Thomas Edison all have in common? They accomplished a lot on very little sleep. Edison reportedly only slept three to four hours a night, while Stewart sneaks in four before going back to running her home decor empire. Clinton’s restricted sleep started way before his presidential term demanded it ...

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Other Sleep Disorders

5 Easy Ways to Sleep Better Tonight

Did you know that cherries can help you drift off into dreamland? Here, five tips to help you catch more zzzs this evening.

We’ve all been there. You snuggle down under the covers and wait for sleep — and wait and wait and wait. Up to 70 million American adults struggle with sleep disorders, which can reduce your productivity and raise your risk of illness. If counting sheep just isn’t cutting it, use our five simple steps to get more rest.

Nibble ...
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AUG
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Tips and Tricks

Unraveling the Meaning of Dreams

Have you ever wondered what an especially weird dream meant? The meaning of dreams is debatable, but the science behind dreams is more clearly defined.

William Shakespeare’s Prospero knew that “we are such stuff as dreams are made on,” but scientists are still figuring out the meaning of dreams themselves. People have inferred the meaning of dreams since ancient times. In more recent years, Sigmund Freud believed that a dream provided a window to our unconscious thoughts, while Alfred Adler argued ...

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World of Dreams

Smart Health: I Tried Headspace’s Sleepcasts — and Now I Fall Asleep Within Minutes

Worries over the global COVID-19 pandemic were wrecking my sleep. These bedtime stories really helped.

For most of my life, falling asleep hasn’t been much of an issue for me. For a while, it wasn’t necessarily for the right reasons — I was so exhausted from work stress and not getting enough sleep in general, I would drift to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. But eventually, I made the effort to establish a bedtime routine and stick ...

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JUL
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Tips and Tricks

Why Your Teen Can’t Sleep

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, ...

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JUL
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Sleep 101

How Do the Bacteria in My Gut Affect My Sleep?

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 ...

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JUN
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Sleep 101

The Link Between Sleep Apnea and Depression, Anxiety, and Mood

Anyone can be a little irritable after a night of too-little shut-eye. But if you have sleep apnea, the effects on your mood may be far greater.

Even one night of restless sleep is enough to put a damper on your mood. But if you’re consistently not logging enough shut-eye, you may also find yourself feeling anxious and depressed.

People who have excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) are more likely to have mental health conditions such as depression, according to the National Sleep ...

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JUN
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Sleepless Dangers

Cheese May Cause Crazy Dreams

Eating cheese at night can do more than disrupt sleep.

According to a recent study sponsored by the British Cheese Board, the long-held myth that cheese can seriously affect your night’s sleep might have some truth to it. Researchers found that different types of cheese provoked different kinds of dreams. Blue cheese resulted in the most bizarre dreams including talking animals, vegetarian crocodiles and warrior kittens. Cheddar yielded dreams of dancing celebrities. Leicester evoked dreams of the past, while Lancashire created ...

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MAY
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World of Dreams

How to Boost Your Energy if You Have Sleep Apnea

Finding the right treatment, revamping your sleep routine, and adopting these healthy habits can help you fight fatigue.

There’s no substitute for a good night’s sleep, but if you have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), getting a good night’s sleep is easier said than done.

More than 18 million adults in the United States are estimated to have sleep apnea, according to National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Although the condition is common, it often goes unrecognized and undiagnosed, says Jose Mendez, MD, director of ...

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Sleep Apnea

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