TED Talk of the week: Jessa Gamble and the Science of Sleep

As a college student, my sleep schedule can be a little insane. On weekdays, I sometimes feel like I'm in a secret competition with myself to see how late I can stay up before I pass out. On the weekends, I try to do the responsible thing and get out of bed before the sun sets. I've pulled all-nighters, danced for 30-hours straight, taken 5 hour naps in the mid-afternoon, and had nights when I couldn't sleep at all because my creepy upstairs neighbor wanted to listen to loud techno music as he studied at 3AM. It doesn't take a sleep scientist to tell me that this isn't a "natural" sleep schedule.

But in case you were wondering, here is what a sleep scientist would say:




I might try to do a little experimentation myself this quarter.