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Description

This episode dives into cultural sleep patterns, the science-backed benefits and timing of naps, and how circadian rhythms and so-called "sleep pressure" affect night time sleep.

It also covers sex and age differences in sleep needs, the risks of too little or too much sleep, and practical sleep hygiene tips to improve sleep quality.

Bibliography:

Blume C, Garbazza C, Spitschan M. Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie (Berl). 2019 Sep;23(3):147-156. doi: 10.1007/s11818-019-00215-x. Epub 2019 Aug 20. PMID: 31534436; PMCID: PMC6751071.

Chen, Chun-Lin et al. “Associations among sleep quality, sleep duration, and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association vol. 21,3 (2025): e70096. doi:10.1002/alz.70096

Hudachek, Lauren, and Erin J Wamsley. “A meta-analysis of the relation between dream content and memory consolidation.” Sleep vol. 46,12 (2023): zsad111. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsad111

Dutheil, F.; Danini, B.; Bagheri, R.; Fantini, M.L.; Pereira, B.; Moustafa, F.; Trousselard, M.; Navel, V. Effects of a Short Daytime Nap on the Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 10212. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910212

Cappuccio FP, D'Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller MA. Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep. 2010 May;33(5):585-92. doi: 10.1093/sleep/33.5.585. PMID: 20469800; PMCID: PMC2864873.

Sabia, S., Fayosse, A., Dumurgier, J. et al. Association of sleep duration in middle and old age with incidence of dementia. Nat Commun 12, 2289 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22354-2