Sleep
Most sleep problems are not disorders. They are ordinary things — caffeine, light, worry, an irregular week — doing exactly what they do to everybody.
So these pages start with what to check first, then explain how sleep actually works, before getting to the specific disorders and what helps. If you are tired and looking for somewhere to begin, begin at the top.
In this section
- Why you wake up tiredSeven reasons sleep leaves you unrefreshed12 min read
- Seven things to check firstThe ordinary causes, before anything else1 min read
- Caffeine, alcohol and stimulantsWhat they do to sleep, and how long for1 min read
- Daylight and sleepWhy morning light sets the night before it1 min read
- Exercise and sleepHow activity changes how you sleep3 min read
- Getting back to sleepWhat to do at three in the morning2 min read
- The sleep cycle: ultradian rhythmsThe ninety-minute cycle, stage by stage3 min read
- Circadian and ultradian rhythmsThe two clocks that decide when you sleep2 min read
- Common sleep problemsThe problems most people actually have6 min read
- Daytime sleepinessWaking unrefreshed, and what it points to2 min read
- Sleep disordersThe recognised disorders, and how they differ1 min read
- Parasomnias: night terrors, sleepwalking and nightmaresNight terrors, sleepwalking and nightmares3 min read