Troubled sleep is often seen as a personal problem, a failure individuals need to fix. However, literature and art can help us question the cultural and systemic issues keeping us up at night.
For over 20 years, I have researched and treated children sleep problems. The research suggests changing sleep patterns over the summer break does not have to be a problem.
Too much light and noise at night in cities makes us sleep less and, as a consequence, worsens our health. Here are some of the measures that local authorities should take to remedy this problem.
The hunt for sleep has become a global industry, with apps, drugs, self-help remedies. In a new book, author Marie Darrieussecq contemplates the curse of insomnia.
A cup of coffee might provide you some pep, but it won’t fully make up for lost sleep.
nopponpat/iStock via Getty Images Plus
While a cup of joe or a brief nap during an all-nighter might help you feel a little more alert, it won’t offset cognitive impairments from sleep deprivation when you’re performing complex tasks.
Mary Breheny, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Rosie Gibson, Massey University
Self-help articles and books usually point to the things we can do personally to get a good night’s sleep. But the wider social and economic causes of insomnia deserve more attention.
Research shows that sleep deprivation impairs communication between brain regions and brain blood flow, damages brain wiring and makes a young brain look like an aged brain.
(Shutterstock)
Ancient humans chose to sleep less, which had evolutionary benefits. For modern humans, sleeping less is futile and detrimental, but fitness may be a powerful ally in today’s epidemic of sleep loss.
Shift work and long hours are common working conditions in health care.
insta_photos/iStock via Getty Images Plus
David Howell, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
While high-profile concussions in the NFL have brought renewed attention to the gravity of head injuries, they can also occur on the playground or during junior varsity practices – with lasting effects.
Telling new parents to do mindfulness tasks with their five minutes of free time might not be realistic – but adding mindfulness to tasks you’re already doing is just a good use of time.
Less than 30% of teenagers are getting the sleep they need.
Mayur Kakade/Moment via Getty Images
Adolescent biology, early morning classes and too much evening screen time are a few of the key drivers behind teen sleep deprivation.
There are many ways that families, health-care providers and communities can support the sleep of mothers of babies six months and older.
(Shutterstock)
Supporting mothers’ and infants’ sleep can decrease the stressors of motherhood, improve maternal mood and mental health and promote better infant development.
The time change can make you feel jet-lagged.
Laura Olivas/Moment via Getty Images
New research shows overworked, sleep-deprived health-care professionals are less empathetic to their patient’s needs compared to when they are well-rested.