Sleep

The Harvard community explores this state of rest, its many benefits and functions, and what we can do to ensure that we’re getting enough of it.

Last updated: March 2023

The benefits of catching up on sleep

Most people are not getting enough sleep and the problems that result are apparent鈥攁nd potentially serious. Harvard experts offer some tips on how to do better with getting enough rest.

A hand holds a phone that is opened to YouTube

Misinformation about sleep may keep you up at night

More than 60% of adults in the U.S. report accessing the internet for health-related questions. Yet an alarming amount of medical misinformation in videos about sleep has been identified in a new study.

Alcohol, sleep, and politics

A new study examines the impact major political events can have on sleep and how it affects our collective mood, wellbeing, and alcohol consumption.

Disparities in sleep

The amount of sleep U.S. adults get varies based on age, sex, location, race, and ethnicity.

Sleep on it

Scientists and researchers have been studying sleep, why we need it, and how it impacts our physical and mental health for centuries.

Parents may be wrong about teenage sleep and health

A recent study has upended common myths surrounding melatonin, weekends, school start times, and other aspects of adolescent sleep patterns.

Untangling the mystery of sleep

Recent sleep research reveals the unexpected connections between the brain and your gut.

Lack of sleep will catch up to you in more ways than one

Panelists at a recent event explored the health risks of long-term sleep deprivation and the fundamental role sleep plays in memory.

Fr猫re Jacques, are you sleeping?

Researchers 黑料专区鈥檚 Music Lab have determined that American infants relaxed when played lullabies that were unfamiliar and in a foreign language.

Mapping the circuit of our internal clock

Research sheds light on the neural structure that controls our sleep, eating habits, hormones, and more.

Our brains practice new tasks while we sleep

New findings may help explain how humans form memories and learn, and could eventually aid the development of assistive tools for people affected by neurologic disease or injury.

Diet, exercise, and sleep affect heart health, but why?

Current and ongoing research seeks to uncover the mechanism by which diet, exercise, and sleep can alter the tissue on the cellular and molecular level.

Adjusting your sleep for daylight saving

The Division of Sleep Medicine 黑料专区 Medical School offers tips on how to adjust to the biannual time change.

Sweet dreams

Harvard experts are exploring the state of dreaming, the role of rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, and how we create memories.

Why we remember鈥攁nd forget

Neurologist聽Andrew Budson聽and neuroscientist聽Elizabeth Kensinger explain the role sleep plays in helping us consolidate our memories.

A new study documents whether spiders can dream

Helping people understand and decode their dreams

A woman floats in a dream-like state against a purple backdrop

Interpreting the language of dreams

A person lays in a bed with text in different languages floating above their heads, as if they are dreaming

Nightmares and the brain

To nap or not to nap?

Harvard researchers examine the science behind taking a mid-day snooze and how naps can impact us in the long term.

The science of the siesta

Have you ever wondered why some people are able to take a quick nap and wake up feeling completely refreshed? Research reveals there is actually a genetic basis for daytime napping.

Excessive napping and Alzheimer鈥檚

Although naps certainly leave people feeling rested, they may also present risks. New findings show that daytime naps may put cognitively normal older adults at higher risk for developing Alzheimer鈥檚.