Lots More Information

Related HowStuffWorks Articles

• How Sleep Works
• How Dreams Work
• How Sleepwalking Works
• How Your Brain Works
• What causes snoring and can anything be done about it?
• What is narcolepsy?
• Is there something in turkey that makes you sleepy?
• Do whales and dolphins sleep?
• Is a lack of sleep making me fat?
• Is science phasing out sleep?
• How can someone stay awake for 11 days?
• Why do some people on Ambien eat in their sleep?

More Great Links

• National Sleep Foundation
• Guide to Healthy Sleep
• Sleep Disorders Health Center
• SleepDeprivation.com
• Sleepnet.com

Sources:

• "Alternative Sleep Patterns: Polyphasic Sleep, the Da Vinci Sleep Cycle
  and Uberman Sleep." sleep-deprivation.com, 2008. http://www.sleep-deprivation.com/articles/causes-of-sleep-deprivation/
  polyphasic-sleep.php
• "Brain Activity is Visibly Altered Following Sleep Deprivation." ucsd.edu,
  July 29, 2002. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2000_02_09_Sleep.html
• "Power Nap" Prevents Burnout; Morning Sleep Perfects a Skill."
  nih.com, July 2, 2002. http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jul2002/
  nimh-02.htm
• "Sleep deprivation as bad as alcohol impairment, study suggests."
  cnn.com, September 20, 2000. http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/09/20/sleep.deprivation/
• "Sleep deprivation raises obesity risk, study finds." Associated Press, November 17, 2004. http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/17/Worldandnation/Sleep_
  deprivation_rai.shtml
• "Sleep: Understanding the basics." emedicinehealth.com, 2008. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sleep_understanding_the_basics/
  article_em.htm
• "Sleepless in Penzance." bbc.co.uk, 2008. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/articles/2007/05/09/
  aboutcornwall_sleeplessinpz_feature.shtml
• "The Importance of Sleep and Health." harvard.edu, 2008. http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_
  sleep_and_health.htm
• "The Importance of Sleep." sleepfoundation.org, 2008. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2418941/
  k.679C/The_Importance_of_Sleep.htm
• "Why sleep is important and what happens when you don't get enough." apa.org, 2008. http://www.apa.org/topics/whysleep.html
• Breus, Michael J. "Good, Sound Sleep for Your Child." webmd.com,
  2008. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/good-sound-sleep-for-children
• Brody, Jane. "At Every Age, Feeling the Effects of Too Little Sleep." The
  New York Times, October 23, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/health/23brod.html?_r=1&oref=
  slogin
• Dement, William. "What All Undergraduates Should Know About How Their Sleeping Lives Affect Their Waking Lives." stanford.edu, September, 2007. http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/sleepless.html
• Schafer, Amanda. "Why Do We Sleep?" slate.com, March 26, 2007. http://www.slate.com/id/2162475/entry/2162476/
• Stein, Rob. "Scientists Finding Out What Losing Sleep Does to a Body."
  The Washington Post, October 9, 2005. http://www.washingtonpost.com/
  wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/08/AR2005100801405.html
• Wheeler, Brian and Lane, Megan. "The real victims of sleep deprivation." bbc.co.uk, January 8, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3376951.stm