Sleep, features and articles | Educational Science

Dec 11, 2017

Do Elves Clean Your Brain While You Sleep?

Ken A. Paller is a professor of psychology and director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Paller has contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Sleep will consume one-third of your life. You can't avoid it, nor should you. Sound slumber...

Dec 18, 2017

The Demon Attacks at Night: Explaining the Incubus Phenomenon

If you've ever woken up in the middle of the night feeling as though you're being crushed by a demonic being, you may have just experienced what's called the incubus phenomenon: an attack by a male demon. (Its female counterpart, the succubus, usually attacks men.) The phenomenon is, in many...

Jan 3, 2018

Here's What You Say When You Talk in Your Sleep

Worried you might say something you regret when talking in your sleep? Your concerns may be justified: According to a recent study from France, your midnight mumblings may be more negative and insulting than what you say while awake. In the study, researchers found that sleep talkers said the word...

Jan 9, 2018

Sleeping More May Curb Sugar Cravings, Really

Is the trick to cutting cravings for sugary foods as simple as getting a good night's sleep? A new small study from the United Kingdom suggests that may be the case. It's no surprise that tossing and turning all night can cause a person to feel tired, cranky and out...

Jan 13, 2018

Writing a To-Do List Before Bed Could Help You Sleep

A new bedtime to-do list, courtesy of sleep researchers at Baylor University: 1. Write a to-do list before bed. 2. Go to sleep. 3. Sleep better than all the non-list-writing people you meet tomorrow. It sounds simple, but there's evidence that it just might work. According to a small study...

Apr 12, 2018

Late to Bed, Early to Die? Night Owls May Die Sooner

Bad news for night owls: Those who tend to stay up late and sleep in well past sunrise are at increased risk of early death, a new study from the United Kingdom suggests. The research, which involved nearly half a million people, found that self-described evening people were 10 percent...

May 15, 2018

Out-of-Sync Biological Clock Could Be Linked to Depression

Our bodies are made up of clocks that keep time with the rotation of our planet — and when these clocks are thrown out of whack, it does more than disrupt sleep. Now, a new study from the United Kingdom adds more evidence that disrupting your body's clock may also...

May 23, 2018

Can You Make Up for Lost Sleep on the Weekend?

Not getting enough sleep can be detrimental to your health; many studies even link the lack of Z's to higher odds of dying during a certain time period. But a new study from Sweden suggests that if you can't sleep as much as you need during the week, you may...

May 30, 2018

Can Taking Ambien Really Lead to Tweets Like Roseanne's?

After a public uproar following a racist post she made on Twitter, actress Roseanne Barr tweeted today (May 30) that she wrote the offensive tweet while on Ambien, a sedative used to treat insomnia. But can taking Ambien really lead to what Barr later called an egregious indefensible tweet? (Barr...

Jul 27, 2018

Is Sleeping with a Fan On Actually Bad for Your Health?

Scorching summer days can be tough without air conditioning, and you might find yourself searching for ways to stay cool, including using a fan at night. But is it healthy to sleep with a fan on? Some recent headlines have made sleeping with a fan on sound downright dangerous. Why...

Aug 14, 2018

'Contagious' Loneliness Could Follow Poor Sleep

Getting too little sleep is tied to a slew of ill health effects, and now, researchers say sleep deprivation could contribute to loneliness as well. And this loneliness could be contagious. A small new study suggests that when people are sleep-deprived, they feel lonelier and are more inclined to keep...

Aug 16, 2018

Please, Please, Please Don't Sleep in Contact Lenses, CDC Says

It's late, you're tired, and the last thing you want to do is get out of bed and take out your contact lenses. If so, you're not alone: Around one-third of people who wear contact lenses have reported that they sleep or nap in them. But people who do this...

Aug 20, 2018

Why Are Pregnant Women Told to Sleep on Their Left Side?

Here's something to expect when you're expecting: hearing the phrase Sleep while you can repeated by every person you meet for 40 weeks. For pregnant mothers, that's easier said than done — especially if they're fond of sleeping on their backs or bellies. Currently, many doctors tell pregnant women to...

Aug 23, 2018

Just One Night of Poor Sleep May Add to Weight Gain, Muscle Loss

Skimping on just one night's sleep may have more significant — and immediate — consequences beyond feeling groggy and sluggish the next day. According to a new, small study, when men forgo just one night of their usual amount of sleep, their bodies experience changes that could promote weight gain...

Nov 3, 2018

How Did People Wake Up Before Alarm Clocks?

Of all the modern inventions we rely on in our daily lives, the alarm clock is probably the most universally despised. Its jarring morning jangles jolt us uncomfortably out of our slumber, and back to reality. And yet however annoying alarm clocks are, they're also indispensable in getting us out...