Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sleep]

Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than being in hibernation or a coma.

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Are there people who can naturally and sustainably function with much less sleep than average?

Over the years I've heard many claims of the ability to have very little sleep every day, sometimes including weekends and vacation, and be highly functional at work. Most recently these claims showed up on the Personal Productivity SE both in…
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Do memory foam mattresses help reduce back pain?

Memory foam and related products have claims like TEMPUR Mattresses create a custom fit for your body, virtually eliminating painful pressure points and reducing your body’s need to toss and turn in search of a comfortable, pain-free sleeping…
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Does caffeine later in the day affect quality of sleep?

My wife is often telling me that drinking coffee later in the day will lower my "quality of sleep." Is this so? For an example of a bit beefier of a source for this claim, consider THIS blog post, featuring the following: Today’s NZ Sunday Star…
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"Relax and Win" - Classified military method to fall asleep quick?

The book Relax and Win by Bud Winter (a track coach) claims to reveal relaxation techniques developed by him and others for the US military: Based on mental and physical training methods used to prepare flyers for combat in World War II –…
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While driving (or otherwise), do people experience microsleep and are unaware that it happened?

From Wikipedia (emphasis mine): When experiencing microsleeps while driving an automobile, from the perspective of the driver, he or she drives a car, and then suddenly realizes that several seconds have passed by unnoticed. It is not obvious to…
user5582
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Is it better to wake up in between sleep cycles than during one?

I saw this cute online sleep calculater. They claim (put in any time, and you'll see it): Sleep cycles typically last 90 minutes. Waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle leaves you feeling tired and groggy, but waking up in between cycles lets you…
ike
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Is sleep training a form of neglect or harmful?

Some people claim that "crying it out" is harmful. For example, the article on PhD Parenting states that crying it out is harmful to a child. I've heard others suggest that it's neglectful. I expect many of these references are to the Ferber method…
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Does reading off a self-luminous tablet impact the quality of sleep?

I've heard claimed many times that reading an iPad in bed makes for worse sleep quality than reading a book or a Kindle with a bedside lamp, Possible explanations I've heard are because of the brightness level, the blue-rich light or the angle of…
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Is sleeping on your left side bad for your heart?

I have been presented with the following conundrum. Either you sleep on your back and snore, or sleep on your right side and get acid reflux, or sleep on your left side and put a heavier load on your heart, thus weakening it. I d not have or seek…
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Is sleepiness after a goods night's sleep a sign of dehydration?

If you still feel tired after a good night's sleep, you're probably dehydrated. Drink some water after you wake up. — Just So You Know (@Know) April 22, 2013 Some quick searching unsurprisingly indicates dehydration is a potential source of…
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Can anyone function on just 2 hours sleep per night?

This infographic advert describes the sleeping habits of a few well-known people: A few of them were claimed to have gotten by with extremely little sleep. For example: Tesla, 2 hours of sleep per day. Is it true that some people can function…
Count Iblis
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Is it impossible for a human to feel pain in a dream?

I am absolutely sure that humans can feel emotions in a dream. I've experienced some of the strongest anxiety in my life during nightmares. Sometimes the emotions were strong enough to persist in the real world - I remember once seeing my father at…
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Do expensive mattresses give better quality of sleep?

I'm currently shopping for a mattress, and prices range from $200-$2000+. My current mattress is a $500 IKEA memory foam mattress, and I feel like I get a good night's sleep, but if it could be shown that spending two or three times more could…
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Which position is healthiest for sleep?

If you believe the internet, there is no healthy way for you to sleep: front, back, side, fetal; they are all going to cause you problems like acid reflux, spinal problems, skin problems, problems with your breasts. Here is a sample of the claims…
going
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Is there a connection between sleep patterns and meat-eating?

There are a number of different and sometimes contradictory claims that changing your diet (especially with regard to avoid meat) can have an affect on your sleeping pattern. Here are a few related claims: Juice fast reduces need for sleep - Source:…
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