Pharmacists in the United States filled more than 56 million prescriptions for sleeping pills in 2008 at a cost of $4.5 billion, a startling 70 percent increase from 2002. They are among the most advertised, most prescribed and most profitable drugs. Although many prescriptions are given for short term use...

How much sleep do we need?

The most frequent question a sleep researcher hears is "how much sleep do we need." It has been said that the invention of the electric light greatly reduced sleep time from its "natural" level. However, the direct evidence for this is questionable. Our distant...