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...A 2014 study conducted by Princeton and Northwestern University concluded that the U.S. government does not represent the majority of American citizens. Instead, the study found that the government is ruled by the rich and powerful, or the so-called “economic elite.” Moreover, the researchers concluded that policies enacted by this governmental elite nearly always favor special interests and lobbying groups. In other words, we are being ruled by an oligarchy disguised as a democracy, and arguably on our way towards fascism—a form of government where private corporate interests rule, money calls the shots, and the people are seen as mere...

There's a certain modification to this story below that's mine. It's very very slight, but makes the paragraph a million times more accurate. You'll know it when you see it. President Obama is revealing his first priority when he leaves the White House: sleep. The commander in chief said Monday that he intends to log some major zzz’s when his term ends.“The first thing I’m probably going to do is catch up on my sleep,” Obama said to laughs during a question-and-answer session, according to a White House prcess pool report. “I’ll probably do that for a couple of months.”...

For most of history people have had two periods of sleep each night, with the time in between being perhaps the most calm and relaxing part of their lives. Then came the lightbulb. This unexpected "two sleep" phenomenon was uncovered by historian Roger Ekirch when he began to do research for a history of the night:

Reddit user Soggybrick said he finds it quite funny when he hears his girlfriend Samantha talking in her sleep. So funny, in fact, that he's decided to share some of her most notable lines on the Web. "She just talks sometimes while I'm on the computer late at night," he told ABC News. "So I take notes of them whenever they're absurd or hilarious." Soggybrick, who's actually a man named James living in New Zealand, wrote down and published some of his favorite lines on Reddit, which include the following: I want the little clay things that are spread all...

Studies show that African-Americans are not getting enough sleep — a health issue that has an adverse impact on our health. Consistent lack of sleep can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease. Regardless of income levels, sleep deprivation is taking its toll on the Black community. Amongst African-Americans in management positions, 42 percent get less than seven hours of sleep a night and for those in support staff positions, 37 percent get less than seven hours of sleep. The Urban Housecall Doctors — Dr. Karla Robinson and Dr. Robert C. Robinson III — joined guest host...

When the study participants were examined according to age, the researchers found that sleeping for more than eight hours a night increased stroke risk only for people who were at least 63 years old. On the flip side, they found that sleeping for less than six hours a night heightened stroke risk for younger people more than for older people. Finally, they discovered that “short” sleepers were more at risk for an ischemic stroke (the kind caused by a clot that blocks blood flow to the brain) while “long” sleepers were more at risk for a hemorrhagic stroke (the kind...

May You Sleep the Sleep of the Just: A Short Meditation on the Burden that Sin Brings By: Msgr. Charles PopeThere’s an old expression, seldom used today although I remember the old folks used it sometimes when I was young, “May you sleep the sleep of the just.” When my Great Aunt Polly used it, she meant simply, “May you sleep well.” But more richly and historically, the phrase speaks to a serenity that comes from having a quiet conscience, a conscience that is untroubled by the burden of unconfessed and unrepentant sin. A serene and clean conscience is an...

It's the middle of the night! (Or VERY early morning). Who's up at this time, and why?

Eric Barker, Barking Up The Wrong Tree September 9, 2014Roger Ekrich noticed many old books, including Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", referenced two periods of sleep being the norm in their era. Via Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep: ...Ekirch somehow rediscovered a fact of life that was once as common as eating breakfast. Every night, people fell asleep not long after the sun went down and stayed that way until sometime after midnight. This was the first sleep that kept popping up in the old tales. Once a person woke up, he or she would stay that way...

So, you couldn’t sleep last night. You’d like nothing more than to go back to bed, but you’ve got a long day of work staring you in the face. How do you power through? Science of Us talked to sleep researchers to figure out how to get through a day after you’ve had a sleepless night. Each of them wanted to be incredibly clear, up front, about this: You really, really need seven to eight hours of sleep to function like a proper human being (unless you’re one of those short sleepers — but look, you aren’t). Still, they acknowledged,...

When I have problems, I have trouble falling asleep. Unless I have a pain, I take nothing, even then it's a aspirin or Tylenol PM. I can't imagine how the current president of the USA or any past President gets sleep with all the problems they have to think about.

A brain professor is taking the concept of flexible work hours to an absolutely new level. Vincent Walsh, professor of human brain research at University College London, has said that employees should be permitted to take short naps at work in order to boost their productivity, reports Daily Mail. Sleeping is vital for memory and learning, adds Professor Hugh Piggins, of Manchester University’s circadian neurobiology lab. The sleep experts revealed in their study that it is only after the Industrial Revolution that people have been obsessed with squeezing all their sleep requirement into one slot. However, they claim that afternoon...

GROTON, Conn. (AP) — With no sunlight to set day apart from night on a submarine, the U.S. Navy for decades has staggered sailors' working hours on schedules with little resemblance to life above the ocean's surface. Research by a Navy laboratory in Groton is now leading to changes for the undersea fleet. Military scientists concluded submarine sailors, who traditionally begin a new workday every 18 hours, show less fatigue on a 24-hour schedule, and the Navy has endorsed the findings for any skippers who want to make the switch. The first submarine to try the new schedule on a...

Sleep loss may be more serious than previously thought, causing a permanent loss of brain cells, research suggests. In mice, prolonged lack of sleep led to 25% of certain brain cells dying, according to a study in The Journal of Neuroscience. If the same is true in humans, it may be futile to try to catch up on missed sleep, say US scientists. They think it may one day be possible to develop a drug to protect the brain from the side-effects of lost sleep. …

Life is short. Stay awake for it. So goes the tagline for the second largest coffee franchise in America. It’s catchy and practical. Drink our coffee, it suggests, not merely for its taste, but for its benefits, that is, to be awake to life. And the reason being — here comes the resonating connection — life is short. The clock is ticking. Our days are numbered. And we Christians agree (Psalm 90:10; 103:15–16; James 4:14). Life is too short to sleep all the time. But life is also too short not to sleep a large part of the time. The...

Slow waves are generated by the middle frontal lobe, and as this region deteriorates with age, the elderly tend to lose the ability to experience long REM sleep University of California, Berkeley, scientists have found a connection between the amount of sleep one gets in their old age and the quality of their memory. The UC Berkeley team, led by Matthew Walker, believes that forgetfulness in old age may be attributed to a lack of deep, non-rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. According to the study, the slow brain waves produced during deep REM sleep help move memories from the hippocampus (short-term memory storage...

In part two of a report on sleep habits, NY1's Jill Urban offers some additional tips on how we can all get a little more shut eye. You lie there awake, tossing, turning and praying you can just get a little more sleep. In this 24/7 world, many people find it so hard to shut down. "We are a very sleep deprived society," says Dr. Steven Feinsilver of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital. "I'm amazed at how little people some people tell me they sleep, and how people assume that sleeping five or six hours is...

We all know how we feel when sleep-deprived: tired, groggy, and grumpy. But have you ever considered all of the ways just a single poor night of sleep may be messing with you? Science has revealed a great many ramifications that you've probably never thought of. 1. You're more depressed and anxious. In 2008, researchers assessed 226 individuals who had six or more hours of sleep the previous night and 112 individuals who had less. The "poor sleep" group scored significantly higher in levels of stress, depression, and anxiety compared to those that slept longer.2. You pee more the next...

The US team believe the "waste removal system" is one of the fundamental reasons for sleep. Their study, in the journal Science, showed brain cells shrink during sleep to open up the gaps between neurons and allow fluid to wash the brain clean. They also suggest that failing to clear away some toxic proteins may play a role in brain disorders. Their findings build on last year's discovery of the brain's own network of plumbing pipes - known as the glymphatic system - which carry waste material out of the brain.