I have something to confess: I regularly sleep less than seven hours a night. Despite knowing that this duration is below the oft-recommended sleep guidelines for adults, I always try to justify my ...

How does your brain know when it's time to sleep? There are two main factors: Hours Awake. The longer you've been awake, the stronger your drive for sleep. Circadian Rhythm. Your body operates on a ...

The following story is excerpted from TIME’s special edition, The Science of Sleep, which is available at Amazon. Anyone who has nodded off on the subway, faked alertness in a meeting at work or ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American We all know we should get more sleep, we're ...