Sleep Basics

• Circadian Rhythm and Process S: The Two Systems That Decide When You Sleep

  Your sleep is not controlled by a single switch. Two separate systems in your brain decide when you feel sleepy and when you feel alert. Sleep scientists call them Process S and Process C. Process S is your sleep pressure. Process C is your circadian...

• Why Permanent Standard Time Is Better for Your Sleep Than Permanent Daylight Saving Time

  On Sunday, November 1, 2026, most of the United States will set its clocks back one hour. Many people hope it will be one of the last times. In July 2026, the U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act by a wide bipartisan margin. The...

• Scientists Discover How Deep Sleep Builds Muscle, Burns Fat, and Boosts the Brain

  Growth hormone is one of the body’s main repair signals. It helps build muscle and bone, mobilizes stored fat for fuel, and supports tissue recovery. Doctors have known for decades that most of it is released at night while you sleep. What nobody could explain...

• Sleepmaxxing: What Actually Works vs What’s Hype

  “Sleepmaxxing” is everywhere right now. Mouth tape, weighted blankets, magnesium, blue light glasses, ice cold bedrooms, and a wrist full of sleep data. The idea is simple. Optimize every part of your sleep and you will wake up sharper, calmer, and healthier. Some of this...

• What Is Beauty Sleep, and Where Did the Term Come From

  You have heard someone call it their “beauty sleep.” Maybe you have said it yourself, half joking, before heading to bed early. But the phrase is older than you think, and the science behind it is more real than most people assume. Here is what...

• Can Poor Sleep Raise Your Risk of Dementia? Here Is What the Research Shows

  If you regularly sleep six hours or less a night in your 50s and 60s, your risk of developing dementia later in life goes up by roughly 30 percent. That number comes from a 25-year study of nearly 8,000 people, and it is one of...

• Fixing Delayed Sleep Phase Before School Starts

  Summer bedtimes drift late. School start times don’t. That gap is why so many kids and teens walk into the first week of school running on four to six hours of sleep. If your child can’t fall asleep before midnight and can’t wake up before...

• How Many Hours of Sleep Does an Adult Need?

  Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep a night. That’s not a rough guess. It’s the conclusion of a joint consensus statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS), based on a review of more than...

• How Dust Storms Disrupt Your Sleep (And What You Can Do About It)

  If you live in a region prone to haboobs, you already know the drill. The sky turns orange, visibility drops, and you shut your windows and wait it out. What you may not know is that the storm keeps affecting you long after the dust...

• Why Permanent Daylight Saving Time Is the Wrong Fix

  Congress is close to ending the twice-a-year clock change. That part is popular. But the version moving through Congress locks in permanent daylight saving time, not permanent standard time. Sleep medicine has been warning against this exact outcome for years. Here’s the problem in one...

• Can You Trust Your Sleep Tracker? Here’s What the Research Actually Shows

  You wake up, check your watch, and see a sleep score. Maybe it says you only got 12 minutes of deep sleep. Maybe it tells you your REM sleep was low. You start the day feeling like you failed at sleeping. Here’s the problem. That...

• What is Hypersomnia

  If you sleep 9 to 12 hours a night and still feel exhausted the next day, something more than “being tired” may be going on. That’s hypersomnia. It’s not laziness and it’s not just needing an extra cup of coffee. It’s a real sleep disorder,...

• Sleep Changes During Menarche: What Every Teen and Parent Should Know

  If your daughter suddenly can’t fall asleep, feels tired all day, or seems moodier than usual after her first period, it’s not just teenage behavior. Menarche changes your biology in ways that directly disrupt sleep. Why your sleep changes when your period starts Menarche is...

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea

  Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder where your airway repeatedly collapses or narrows during sleep, blocking or reducing airflow even though your body keeps trying to breathe. Each blockage can last 10 seconds or longer and is often followed by a gasp, snort,...

• Overuse of Melatonin in the US

  Melatonin is a hormone your brain makes in the evening to tell your body that its getting closer to sleep time. In the US it is sold over the counter as a dietary supplement, and its use has exploded. Most people take it the wrong...

• What Is Snoring? A Complete Guide

  Snoring is the sound of soft tissue in your throat vibrating as air squeezes through a narrowed airway while you sleep. It is very common, and for many people it is often harmless. But recent research shows that regular, heavy snoring is linked to high...