Sleep

Sleep is essential for daily activities, performance, learning, and overall health. Insufficient sleep—getting too little sleep or not enough quality sleep—is a leading cause of accidents, lost productivity, and illness.

NICHD supports many areas of research on sleep, including how sleep occurs, how a lack of sleep affects health and behavior, and conditions that disrupt sleep. This website provides some general information about sleep and about the specific areas of sleep research within the NICHD research portfolio. The website is not meant to be all-inclusive.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), with its National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR), leads NIH research efforts on sleep and sleep disorders. If you are looking for in-depth information about sleep and sleep disorders, please visit the NHLBI or the NCSDR websites.

In August 2021, NICHD co-hosted the #ScienceOfSleep Across the Lifespan Q&A Series along with the National Institute on Aging and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Learn how sleep impacts the health of teens, adults, and older adults external link.

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