The Science of Sleep
Fifty years of research on brain activity and physiological patterns of sleeping has revealed a great deal about what sleep is and what it is not.
What is Sleep?
Not the passive state many people once considered it to be, sleep is now known to be a highly active process during which the day’s events are processed and energy is restored. go to this section
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Sleep Lab
This Sleep Lab interactive gives you a first-hand look at these aspects of sleep using examples of healthy sleepers of various ages, as well as exploring how shift work and certain sleep disorders can affect the amount, pattern, and depth of sleep.
Sleep and Dreams (1:11)
Dr. Robert Stickgold describes the physiological underpinnings for why we might dream about the things we do.
REM and NREM Sleep (1:21)
Dr. Thomas Scammell describes the different stages of sleep and their characteristics.
The Characteristics of Sleep
Our brains and bodies undergo a wide variety of changes when we transition from wakefulness to sleep.
How is Sleep Regulated?
The brain plays a critical role in the timing of sleep and wakefulness, but external factors, including our own behavior, can push many of the brain’s finely tuned systems out of sync. go to this section
Featured content
- The Brain and Sleep
- The Biological Clock and Sleep Homeostat
- Smoking and Sleep
- The Forces that Control Sleep and Wakefulness
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The Brain and Sleep (2:04)
Dr. Thomas Scammell discusses how structures and chemicals in the brain are responsible for producing both wakefulness and sleep.
The Biological Clock and Sleep Homeostat (1:25)
Dr. Charles Czeisler describes the interaction between the internal biological clock and the sleep homeostat.
Smoking and Sleep (0:56)
Dr. Lawrence Epstein describes how nicotine in cigarettes can prevent or disrupt sleep.
The Forces that Control Sleep and Wakefulness
How do we stay awake throughout the day and sleep through the night? See the forces that make this happen.
Variations in Sleep
Age, shift work, and jet lag can all dramatically influence sleep patterns, and can keep people from getting the sleep they need. go to this section
Featured content
- Kirsten’s Story: Developing Sleep Routines in Children
- Sleep Strategies Later in Life
- Jet Lag and How to Mitigate its Effects
- Shift Work and Ways to Improve Sleep
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Kirsten’s Story: Developing Sleep Routines in Children (4:49)
Balancing the demands of work and parenthood, Kirsten explores how developing sleep routines in her children can help ensure a lifetime of healthy sleep habits.
Sleep Strategies Later in Life (4:22)
Sleep problems are not inevitable as we age, though individuals need to pay attention to healthy sleep habits.
Jet Lag and How to Mitigate its Effects (1:11)
Dennis Dean describes how jet lag affects the body and suggests ways to minimize the negative effects.
Shift Work and Ways to Improve Sleep (1:29)
Dr. Charles Czeisler suggests some healthy sleep strategies for night shift workers.