12 questions · 5 almanac · 0 findings

Sleep and Circadian Biology

The biology of sleep, wakefulness, and internal clocks.

Almanac Hamsters Beat Jetlag on the Little Blue Pill
  • How did researchers simulate jetlag in hamsters to test sildenafil's effects?
  • Why might sildenafil speed up the resetting of a hamster's circadian rhythm?
  • Did sildenafil help hamsters adjust to both eastward and westward time shifts?
Almanac A Gene That Keeps Its Own Time
  • How does the period gene create a self-sustaining twenty-four-hour molecular oscillation inside a cell?
  • What additional 'gears' did Michael Young discover that stabilise and reset the circadian clock?
  • Why does the fruit-fly circadian mechanism translate so directly to human biology?
  • What health conditions have been linked to disruption of the circadian clock?
Almanac Snoring, Cured by Circular Breathing
  • Why does playing the didgeridoo strengthen the same muscles responsible for airway collapse during sleep apnoea?
  • What did the clinical trial measure, and how much did four months of didgeridoo practice improve it?
  • Why has this low-cost, no-side-effect therapy not been widely adopted by health systems?