Sleeping well impacts your overall health. Yet, for many of us, getting those elusive eight hours isn’t just a struggle, it can seem impossible. But there’s good news. Sleep researchers have not only discovered why so many of us have sleep issues, they’ve also narrowed in on ways you can rest better — including stripping down before you hit the sheets.

Most often, cognitive decline and dementia in adults is a result of Alzheimer’s disease. And poor sleep is a common Alzheimer’s symptom that actually makes the disease progress more quickly. But researchers dug into what makes the most difference: more sleep or deeper sleep?

When it comes to your health, there are few things exercise can’t improve. It’s great for your muscles, bones, heart, brain and weight. Exercise also can even help you sleep better — as long as you stick to this golden rule that’s entirely about the one time of day to avoid exercise…

Is napping your favorite pastime? Of late, it’s been mine. I’m not sure if the heat is to blame or just age. But I’ve been catnapping more often. That may sound nice, but I’ve noticed I don’t wake refreshed or any better able to focus. Turns out there’s a good reason for that. It’s called slow-wave sleep…

You may know about the negative effects of blue light on your health. The light that is emitted from screens like your television, tablet or smartphone has been proven to steal sleep, increase cancer risk and even accelerate aging. Now researchers have found if you seem to be gaining weight or are having a hard time losing it, you can blame blue light from these devices as well…

So much research has come out on the impact of sleep on our health that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has declared sleep “essential to health” in a statement that has now been endorsed by 25 organizations. Statements like these aren’t made lightly. Here’s why they hope you’ll heed this wake-up call…