Because learning about your brain and sleep can be fun . . .
The circadian clock is built into our genes. Having a job and working nights is a violation of everything natural. Many otherwise tough people have tried to do it and failed. They found it too challenging mentally, physically, and socially. When the night shift people are coming, the day shift people are going—Vice versa. It’s…
To nap or not to nap: that is the question. Some people swear by the power of naps, actually calling them “power naps.” They’re powerful, they say, because they feel recharged, refreshed, and rejuvenated after they wake up. Others, not so much. They insist that if you’re struggling through your day after a night of sleeplessness,…
More is not necessarily better when it comes to melatonin. Starting melatonin? Look for low-dose melatonin (1 mg)—it’s not always easy to find. Can’t sleep? Take melatonin, people say. Melatonin can help you if your days and nights are all mixed up for whatever reason. It’s valuable for shift workers who are trying to sleep…
Something of a cross between George Clinton and Snoop Dogg, the lead singer wore dusty overalls and thick work gloves. The backup dancers were also dressed for farm work. No crops were being raised, however. There were no animals getting fed either. Behind them, a barn. A crowd grooved approvingly on a tractor and up in…
Beeeeep! You wake up, muttering a curse. You’re sitting in the driver’s seat. You fell asleep at the traffic light and the driver behind you laid on his horn. A couple of miles ago you finished working 12 hours, right through the night. You’re headed for the early class over at the university. You know…
While making the rounds of various TV and radio talk shows, with the release of Dream Power (1972) and subsequent release of The Dream Game (1975), psychologist Ann Faraday popularized both the activity of dream journaling and the idea dreams could be meaningful. Her books sold over 500,000 copies, according to Harper & Row, her publisher. The Encyclopedia of…
Falling. . . . Falling. . . . Falling. . . . “Ahhh!” Boom! Splat! You wake up. You gasp. It takes a moment to get oriented. You exhale. You relax. Good. You’re not dead. You landed in bed — or wherever else you fell asleep. This sensation is known as a hypnic jerk. It happens…
Why nobody can interpret your dreams for you. Six Carl’s Jr. fast-food workers stood ready to take on the problem: a home in disarray. The dream: I had too much to do in too little time. I was fretting. This team would help. Actually, I don’t have an exact count of how many fast-food employees…
People frequently compare the human body to a machine. It’s not, but making a comparison like that is taking a mental shortcut. Writers searching for convenient analogies are guilty. We probably should forgive them. They’re just trying to explain how stuff works in easily understood ways. Besides the fact humans are living and machines aren’t,…
Ancient Greeks also had a mixed relationship with sleep. The stigma didn’t start with us. It might not have begun with them. Hesiod and other ancient Greek writers had a choice. They could have made the god of sleep part of a family of positive deities. They didn’t. Instead, the family consists of a bunch…