People who compensated for sleep deprivation with catch-up sleep did not have an increased risk of mortality. People who consistently slept too little without ever making it up did

Chronic insomniacs are treated harshly in the media. We’re told that six hours of sleep damages the brain, weakens the immune system, and causes the heart to fail. That the risk of depression increases. And yet, some people still make it to 95 just fine

A forty percent higher risk of dementia. Brains that function as if they are four years older. These are the figures from a study involving more than 2,700 adults with chronic insomnia

When you’re under pressure your body enters a state of alertness. The stress hormone cortisol keeps you vigilant. That’s useful in urgent situations, but the brain doesn’t distinguish between a caregiving task tomorrow morning and a lion around the corner. Under stress, the body remains in a heightened state of readiness, which prevents proper recovery during sleep. As a result, you either don’t get enough sleep or the quality of your sleep declines.

If you think you sleep poorly because your father or mother did too, and that it’s simply “in your DNA,” some nuance is needed. Predisposition explains why you may be more vulnerable. It doesn’t necessarily explain why you’re sleeping poorly now or why it just isn’t improving.

During a scroll through social media, I notice how persistent certain sleep myths still are. I’ve listed four common ones.

A study by researchers from the University of Salzburg compares eight popular sleep trackers with polysomnography, the medical gold standard for sleep research. The findings are surprising.

Various scientific studies confirm that listening to music before going to sleep can improve sleep. This is especially true for people with mild to moderate sleep problems.

The next time your “smart” watch tells you that you only got 45 minutes of deep sleep or your sleep score has dropped below 70, take a moment to breathe calmly

The analysis of a massive sleep dataset mainly shows that sleep is not a mysterious process over which you have little control. On the contrary, small and consistent behavioral changes can already make a big difference.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics, young people between the ages of thirteen and eighteen need eight to ten hours of sleep per night for optimal health and development. Yet the majority do not meet this standard

We tend to think that fatigue is about the number of hours we sleep. Eight hours is good. Seven is borderline. Six is a problem. But what many people don’t realize is that you can sleep a perfect eight hours and still feel exhausted. Not because you lack sleep, but because you lack regularity.

Doctors prescribe sleeping pills to one in two people who suffer from insomnia. Sleeping pills do have an effect. They calm you down. They make you drowsy. Sometimes you suddenly sleep through a few hours again. That can feel like a relief. You might sleep better, but the confidence that you can do this on your own gradually fades into the background.

Yoga combines movement, breathing, focus, and relaxation. This appears to reduce stress and positively influence your nervous system. Interestingly, it's not about the gentle, slow yoga, but rather more intensive forms like power yoga or vinyasa flow

In my sleep coaching programs, I don’t treat questionnaires as just a 'test'. I use them as a starting point for meaningful change

A sleep routine helps signal to your brain and body that it’s time to wind down. By repeating the same calming habits each day, you reduce stress, fall asleep more easily, and improve the quality of your sleep.

Do you remember pulling an all-nighter in the past? Did you have a bad day the next day?