Understanding more about how sleep affects genetic function holds great promise in illuminating these pathways and could open important new avenues for both treatment and prevention of illness and disease.

Why do we seem so incapable of accomplishing a goal that we set for ourselves and truly desire? Part of the answer has to do with timing. Winter is not an ideal season to successfully execute big changes.

As a sleep researcher who focuses on how sleep affects elite athlete, I have studied the effects of travel and disrupted sleep on athletes for many years. The combination of cross-country travel and athletic performance is not pretty. Travel and circadian timing matter.

People with delayed sleep phase feel sleepy much later in the night and need to sleep in to get sufficient sleep. As a result, they often suffer the effects of chronic lack of sleep, since most people have commitmernts to fulfill -- such as being in school or at work -- in the morning.

Nobody wants to be set up for poor performance before the first bell even rings. However, poor sleep habits of elementary, middle and high school students may make them sluggish during the day, hinder their success at school and contribute to long-term health problems.

More than 30 percent of adult Americans, about 60 million people, complain of difficulty sleeping. For about a quarter of these individuals, treatmen...

This question originally appeared on Quora. By Jason Thibodeau, Software developer, science geek Studies on circadian rhythms suggest that sleeping...

Greater control of the circadian system can help us understand the extent to which it maintains our overall health and well being, and help to regulate complex metabolic systems that, if disrupted, can increase the risk of disease.

Circadian rhythms -- our own internal biological "clock" -- govern our sleep-wake cycle and several other daily rhythms of the body. It's a complicated and finely-tuned system of hormonal and bio-chemical reactions that helps us live in rhythm with the 24-hour day.

It's common knowledge that too little sleep can increase our odds of getting sick, but a new study sheds light on just how direct the connection is. R...

Have trouble waking up this morning? You're not alone. The holidays are officially over -- and for many of us, it's back to work today. "I think i...

Many sleep problems can be attributed to an internal clock that has become out of sync. Sometimes your body's clock just doesn't quite match up with society's 24-hour clock.

Those who claim they "get by" on very little sleep are likely fooling themselves, but their bodies won't fool them for too long. Eventually, that lack of sleep will show up somewhere in the way they look or feel (or both).

How often do you use a smartphone or computer right before bed or even in bed? Do you think it may be impacting your quality of sleep or your ability to fall asleep?

Your bedroom is more than just the room that happens to house your bed -- it is your personal environment for sleeping.

A new study suggests that being in the bed itself might be contributing to your sleeplessness. In fact, the researchers found that one of the best things an insomniac can do is get out of bed.

It's the question every parent of a newborn gets. How well does he or she sleep at night? And every new parent asks the other, related question: When will my baby sleep through the night? Ever? (Never?)

If you are reading this and haven't set your clock ahead, you're probably late for something. Daylight savings has arrived, and the phrase, "Spring Ahead" means we lose an hour of time -- poof -- just like that.

A long-time tradition in Latin countries, a siesta is a great way to jumpstart the second half of your day. Famous nap enthusiasts have included some of the best minds in history.

As Americans, our minds have long been fatigued and our bodies far from movement.

Owls tend to envy larks, though, especially when they hear about their counterparts who can rise before the sun and get half a day's work done before much of the world eats breakfast.

I've always said that getting good sleep is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to lose weight. Now there's one more reason hit the hay on a empty stomach.