Have you ever wondered why some people need total silence and darkness to fall asleep, while others prefer to listen to white noise or watch their favorite TV show? Is there a “best” way to fall asleep?
Counting sheep: How should we fall asleep?
2024 Neuroscience Year in Review
Our writers share what got them excited about neuroscience in 2024.
A clear solution for cleaning your brain
New research suggests that large waves of electrical activity washing across your brain while you sleep help push garbage in the surrounding fluid out of the brain.
Penguin power naps: Racking up a day’s worth of sleep four seconds at a time
Explore what it means to be asleep, why sleep is so important, and what we can learn from the sleep habits of Antarctic chinstrap penguins.
Critical thinking: How networks in the brain may be optimally organized
Some neuroscientists think that the brain balances on the edge of chaos to be as efficient as possible. One new study suggests that sleep helps to restore this ‘critical’ state which may slowly fade while you’re awake.
2023 Neuroscience Year in Review
Our writers share what got them excited about neuroscience in 2023.
The early bird and the night owl: A look at differences in our sleep behavior
You have probably heard the expressions “early bird” and “night owl.” But did you know that differences between these kinds of sleepers go beyond just their bedtimes?
Can you control your dreams?
Learn how controlling your dreams may allow scientists to unlock the mysteries of consciousness while you sleep.
10 Big Unanswered Questions in Neuroscience (Part One)
Now that we’ve peered into distant galaxies and put a man on the moon, the true final frontier may be our very own brains!
Who do you become when you’re sleepy?
How does sleep deprivation affect the brain?
Don’t move a muscle
Our body’s built-in brakes keep us safely still even while our brains remain active during REM sleep.
Where do we go when we fall asleep?
What happens in the brain while we sleep? As it turns out, a lot: learning and memory, waste clearance, and metabolism.
2022 Neuroscience Year in Review
Read about what excited our writers about neuroscience this year.
Much ado about microglia
Microglia are the brain’s immune cells, but what do they do when they’re not hunting down foreign bacteria or munching on debris in the brain? Can they even influence how you sleep?
Do melatonin supplements help with sleep?
Melatonin is a commonly-used sleep aid, but does it really work?
Why getting better at baseball might require just a little sleep
A new study found that activating memories through learning-associated sound cues during sleep improved the performance of a motor task
The Neuroscience of Narcolepsy
Loss of one type of neuron can throw sleep transitions into chaos
The Cells of Consciousness
How close is science to finding the cellular source of consciousness?
Timing Is Everything
Even the best athletes can’t escape the effects of the brain’s central clock
How does sleep affect the blood-brain barrier?
The blood-brain barrier plays a critical role in protecting the brain. However, sleep loss can lower its defenses, increasing the vulnerability of the brain.
Sleeping with one eye open
Some animals sleep with half their brain at a time. Can humans?
Going Under
General anesthetics are used in millions of surgeries each year, yet we still don’t know exactly how they work.
The genetics behind short sleepers
A newly discovered genetic mutation might explain why some people need only 4-6 hours of sleep each night.
The Dreaming Brain
The neuroscience behind dreaming
Sleep It Off
How and why do we sleep so much when we are sick?
At Attention, Soldier!
Can you stay awake forever with the army’s optimal caffeine concentration calculations?
Forget the turkey: the neuroscience behind the “food coma”
Can you blame your post-meal sleepiness on science?
Get Some Z’s Please!
Is missing some sleep really that bad? Find out how your brain responds to sleep deprivation and how you can get a better night’s sleep!
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