Happy Sleep Awareness Week!

Happy Sleep Awareness Week! That’s right, this it that time of year in which sleep becomes not just the dominant desire of our exhausted subconscious, but a prime topic of news. Accompanying the occasion is a host of breaking sleep findings that include: a new report that nearly a quarter of pilots and train operators are working while sleep-deprived, another study suggesting snoring children are behaviorally troubled children, evidence that the elderly do not, in fact, sleep poorly compared to their younger counterparts, and even the unnerving possibility that sleeping pills could be linked to death. On the flip side though, this is also a good time to remark on the sheer mystery of sleep: no one really knows, even still, why we really need to do this. As evolved behaviors go, it’s not the safest (for an excellent breakdown on that, check out the Radiolab sleep episode). And in the meantime, if you’re looking for a good way to celebrate, may we suggest catching up on some sleep? Because next week is Daylight Savings Time, and we’re all going to be just a little more tired next Monday morning. [Sleep Foundation | WebMD | LA Times | Boston.com | Radiolab]