Dreams in Islam
Even before the founding of Islam, Arabia was home to professional dream interpreters.
The Bizarre Social History of Beds
For centuries, people thought nothing of crowding family members or friends into the same bed.
Nobody Really Knows Why We Dream
An extensive literature review reveals a startling lack of consensus around why we dream, though neurologists have made important discoveries.
The Age of the Bed Changed the Way We Sleep
One historian reconstructs what nighttime was like in early modern Europe, and how the darkness affected people's sleep patterns.
Why Do We Sleep?
A growing consensus among those who hold this view is that sleep is needed for maintaining a healthy nervous system, not necessarily a brain.
When Americans Became Obsessed with Fresh Air
Once it became clear that mosquitoes, not the air itself, carried malaria, early 20th-century Americans went to extreme lengths to enjoy fresh air at night.
Extreme Napping in the Animal Kingdom
Although sleep is ubiquitous for animals with brains, differences in how, why, and for how long animals sleep remain unexplained.