Calvin Coolidge, during one stretch of his presidency, was getting 15 hours of shut-eye each day, while William Howard Taft was known for nodding off during public events.
You know you’re not supposed to do this – but you do.
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Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
The science of sleep and the economics of sleeplessness.
The Conversation, CC BY52.8 MB(download)
Only about one quarter Australians report getting eight or more hours of sleep. And in pre-industrial times, it was seen as normal to wake for a few hours in the middle of the night and chat or work.
The most interesting part of our body that changes during sleep is our brain.
We know that lots of animals, maybe all animals, sleep. Cats, dogs, even worms and jellyfish sleep. But we still don’t know exactly why they started sleeping.
Marcella Cheng/The Conversation
Pond snails use things like rocks or the side of their aquarium as their bed, attaching themselves while they sleep. This might not seem very relaxing but their shells do hang away from their body.
Cars are often warm and comfortable and we are usually feeling safe and relaxed.
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You might be trying to catch up on sleep. Sleep scientists say some children need only nine hours of sleep at night, while others need as much as 11 hours. It depends on the person.
Research suggests that sleeping on your back can increase the chances of stillbirth. Pregnant women need better access to such vital information.
Staying alert and safe on the night shift not only affects workers’ health, but the health and safety of the people around them.
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Taking a power nap on a night shift can leave you feeling groggy. And eating a large meal can reduce your alertness. So, what's a tired shift worker to do to make it through the night?
By understanding sleep across animals we can gain insights into improving the quality of human sleep. It can also help to bolster conservation management strategies for the animals in question.
Professorial Research Fellow and Deputy Director (Research), HILDA Survey, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne