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.

Why is sleep so important?

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—and potentially serious. Harvard experts offer some tips on how to do better with getting enough rest.

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.

Learn more from the Harvard Chan School

Frère Jacques, are you sleeping?

Researchers at Harvard’s Music Lab have determined that American infants relaxed when played lullabies that were unfamiliar and in a foreign language.

Learn more from Harvard's Music Lab

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.

Learn more about the research

Adjusting your sleep for daylight saving

The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard 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—and forget

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

Why we remember—and forget

Nightmares and the brain

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’s

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’s.

Explore the connection between napping and Alzheimer’s

The benefits of catching up on sleep

Misinformation about sleep may keep you up at night

Alcohol, sleep, and politics

Disparities in sleep

Parents may be wrong about teenage sleep and health

Untangling the mystery of sleep

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

Frère Jacques, are you sleeping?

Mapping the circuit of our internal clock

Our brains practice new tasks while we sleep

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

Adjusting your sleep for daylight saving

Why we remember—and forget

A new study documents whether spiders can dream

Helping people understand and decode their dreams

Interpreting the language of dreams

Nightmares and the brain

The science of the siesta

Excessive napping and Alzheimer’s