New blood test can tell if you're naturally a night owl or an early bird

Getting a good night's sleep just took on a whole new meaning.

Abdelrahman Hassanein via Unsplash
  • A new study introduces a new method for determining your personal circadian rhythm.
  • This could have profound effects on combating cognitive disorders and helping patients understand when to take medicine.
  • The blood test measures a person's biological clock to within 1.5 hours.
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Surprising Science

Want to fall asleep faster? Try this 5-minute technique

Before you reach for another glass of warm milk, read this. 

It has happened to most of us: being hit with a slew of worries, stresses, and knowledge of what we have to do tomorrow just when we want to go to bed. The resultant strain is made worse when we realize that each moment spent thinking is one less to sleep in. The problem is familiar to the one-third of Americans who report difficulty falling asleep more than one night a week. As sleep deprivation can be the cause of a myriad of health problems, the search for a good night's sleep is one that takes on tremendous importance.

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Surprising Science

Why We Need More Sleep

Forty percent of Americans sleep less than seven hours per night, and that's a problem.

A seven-year-old cat sleeps besides its owner near Sao Conrado beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 9, 2011. (Photo: Yasayoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)

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Mind & Brain

Fall Asleep and Wake Up Refreshed On This High-Tech Pillow

If you're constantly tired because you can't break your bad sleeping patterns, this super smart Sunrise Pillow might put you back in the game.

Photo: Hugo Bernard (flickr.com/photos/hugobernard)

Nutrition, physical activity and sleep are the cornerstones of health. Yet, sleep seems to be the most overlooked, with electronic devices, light pollution, stress, busy schedules, and Netflix all standing in the way. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention an estimated 50-70 million US adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder, and more than a third of adults are getting less than the recommended minimum of seven hours of sleep. People with sleep insufficiency are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as from cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity.

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Surprising Science

Explained: How memories are 'pruned' during sleep

The pair of papers suggest that sleep is crucial in order to wipe out memories. Yep – it turns out that, sometimes, it's smart to forget.

When weaker memories aren't "pruned" during sleep, our recall of important information suffers, causing fuzzy memories. (Photo: Shutterstock)
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Surprising Science