What Are We Learning About Sleep?

Sleep researchers are hard at work all the time trying to learn more about sleep. Everything from what sleep actually is, to why we sleep, to how different animals and even insects sleep is being looked at.

So what are we learning about sleep? We’ve collected some of the most recent findings in the world of sleep research and science.

Research suggests people in industrialized world sleep more than those in more primitive societies

We hear a lot about how modern sleepers aren’t getting the quality or the quantity of sleep we need. Much of the blame has been put on electrification – having inexpensive lighting available at all hours – and on modern technology like phones and devices constantly in front of our eyeballs.

Recent research seems to show otherwise.

“…analysis of 54 sleep studies conducted around the world has found that people in small, non-industrialised societies actually get less sleep than those in more industrialised regions.”

Surprisingly, people in industrialized societies average 7.1 hours per night, with 88 percent of the time spent in bed in sleep. Compared to the 6.4 hours per night and 74 percent of time asleep in modern non-industrialized societies, we aren’t doing so badly.

Pupil Size Indicates Level of Wakefulness During Sleep

We’re all aware that our pupils dilate and constrict due to different conditions and emotional states. We know in bright light they constrict to protect our eyes, and in low light they dilate to let in more light and help us see better.

Most of us are also aware, at least subconsciously, of other people’s pupils changing. We can see dilation when they are feeling love or are sexually interested or aroused, scared or stressed, or even angry.

The size of our pupils during sleep has been studied quite extensively in recent years. Researchers have looked into pupil size in relation to sleep stage, memory sorting and replay, and memory consolidation.

A recent study has found that pupil size indicates arousal levels during sleep. No, not that kind of arousal. Here they mean the degree of wakefulness or alertness or a shift in sleep states such as from light to deep sleep.

You may wonder how they can measure pupil size during sleep. Fair enough. The study notes that they did it “…by safely taping the right eye open during overnight sleep…” Doesn’t sound very pleasant, but anything for science, right?

Find out more about pupil size during sleep at Nature Communications.

Will the U.S. Finally Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent?

March 9, 2025 is only days away, and that means most of the United States and Canada will be setting their clocks forward one hour the night before.

All sorts of adverse health consequences have been attributed to changing our clocks in the spring and fall. The one most obvious to us all is that it disturbs our sleep, sometimes for days or weeks after.

Only about 40 percent of the world’s countries take part in the seasonal time change. Countries near the equator typically do not change their clocks because their day-night cycle stays much the same throughout the year.

In the U.S., President Trump supports doing away with DST permanently. The House of Representatives has put forth – yet again – legislation called the “Sunshine Protection Act of 2025” aka H.R. 139. In the Senate, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced S.29 in early January.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), as of mid-February 2025 at least 31 states currently have or are considering legislation related to daylight saving time.

Likewise, several provinces in Canada have pushed to end DST. It seems likely that if the U.S. makes a permanent change, Canada could follow suit to keep our time zones aligned.

Whether to end DST or stay on it permanently, there is much support for ending the twice-yearly clock change. Will it finally happen?

Stay tuned…