The relationship between insomnia and mental illness is bidirectional: about 50% of adults with insomnia have a mental health problem; up to 90% of adults with depression have sleep problems.
Innocent people do confess to terrible crimes they had nothing to do with. Psychologists are investigating factors that contribute to false confession – including how well-rested a suspect feels.
Trying to fall asleep can be a tricky, especially when we try too hard.
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We know that not getting adequate sleep means we do a disservice to our brain and our physical and metabolic health. But what are the real secrets to a good night’s rest?
About half of us will experience at least one lucid dream in our lives, where we are aware and may be able to take control of it. What can this tell us about consciousness?
Teenagers need nine hours sleep a night.
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Messaging friends on social media at night is often a source of sleep problems. Setting limits on the use of technology in the evenings can help your child get the sleep they need.
Does listening to certain songs help us slip into the ether?
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Is electricity making us sleep less? A new study on sleep in preindustrial societies suggests the answer is no. But it misses a big point: people in preindustrial societies spend more time in darkness than we do.
The clocks going back hold the tantalising promise of an extra hour in bed. But the modern attitude towards that champion of indolence, the sloth, shows that sloth is still very much a deadly sin.
Researchers have noted a spike in workplace injuries and road accidents as we set the clocks forward.
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Tracking sleep is now routine in monitoring overall well-being. But are the devices used to do this actually useful, or have we simply found a more sophisticated way to clock watch?
Popular characters such as Sleeping Beauty illustrate our enduring interest in tales of people who sleep continuously or cannot stay awake.
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Perhaps because we all need sleep, we have an enduring interest in sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, which causes a constant irrepressible need for sleep.
The activities we do during the day – from having a fight with a partner to using our iPhones at night – also affect our hormone levels and, in turn, our quality of sleep.
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