Explore 31 Sleep Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Even colorful rainbows can carry spooky superstitions.
horror

5 Superstitious Stories for Friday the 13th

Explore these tales of death, sacrifice, and bad omens—if you dare.
Roxanne Hoorn December 13, 2024
Inside Sacré-Coeur Hospital lies an unassuming lab that peers into the mysteries of our sleeping minds.
sleep

Inside Montréal’s ‘Dream and Nightmare Laboratory’

In a century-old hospital, a team of “dream engineers” investigates the science of uneasy sleep.
Kate Golembiewski November 8, 2024
A glorious night sky seen through Owachomo Bridge in Utah's Natural Bridges National Monument, which was named the world's first International Dark Sky Park in 2007.
vikings

Archaeologists Explore Life After Dark in the Ancient Night

Studying our ancestors' nocturnal lives reveals the value of reclaiming darkness.
Nancy Gonlin and April Nowell October 7, 2024
A World War I-era poster extolling the value of Daylight Saving Time—which may actually do more harm than good.
science

Why Daylight Saving Time Messes With Your Brain

To "spring forward" is more damaging to our health than to "fall back," according to some surprising science.
Beth Ann Malow March 6, 2024
Panaji, India

Statue of Abbe Faria

In the heart of Panaji, a monument to the pioneer of modern hypnotism.
Does the early bird actually get the worm?
schools

Most States Start School Too Early in the Morning

This map shows which parts of the U.S. ignore the science.
Frank Jacobs December 29, 2023
Arctic reindeer deal with weeks of total darkness in the winter and full sun in the summer by overriding their circadian rhythm.
science

Reindeer Can Sleep and Chew (Their Cud) at the Same Time

To make it through the long, cold Arctic winters, reindeer can get their beauty sleep while they stock up on calories.
Roxanne Hoorn December 22, 2023
<em>The Nightmare</em> (1781) by Henry Fuseli taps into superstitions about sleep paralysis, a kind of parasomnia, or sleep disorder.
witchcraft

The Nightmare of Sleep Paralysis Makes a Comeback in Modern Horror

Centuries-old superstitions about troubled sleep are reawakening thanks to scary movies.
Alice Vernon October 9, 2023
Oh, nose! Cave bears' diet-limiting sinuses may have been what spelled doom for the Ice Age beasts.
caves

Why Europe's Cave Bears Were—and Weren't—Made for Hunkering Down

Their big sinuses were both an evolutionary boon and bust.
Isaac Schultz April 3, 2020
If this looks relaxing to you, you're not alone.
sleep

Respect the Hammock, One of Humanity’s Greatest Creations

In praise of an excellent idea with a long, complicated history.
Dan Nosowitz August 23, 2019
A bed fit for a German-speaking woman between the ages of 24 and 55.
nasa

Wanted: Women Who Will Spend 60 Days in Bed, for Science

Space agencies are looking for 12 female participants for a microgravity study that’s every couch potato’s dream.
Sabrina Imbler April 3, 2019
A close cousin of the Caribbean two-spot octopus.
animals

See an Octopus Change Color as It Sleeps, Perchance Dreams

We know they're smart, but there's still a lot we don't know.
Sabrina Imbler March 12, 2019
A close-up of some sleepy Idia moths.
insects

Peek Inside an Unexpected Moth Slumber Party

The flying insects usually go solo—but one lepidopterist surprised hundreds snoozing together in a hollow tree.
Cara Giaimo August 1, 2018
Bean-shaped pillow with child design, Northern Song Dynasty.
Guangzhou, China

Ceramic Pillows at the Museum of the Nanyue King's Mausoleum

Three floors above a 2,000-year-old royal tomb is a rare collection of ancient porcelain pillows.
Bacon on bacon sizzles on the stovetop.
food

Let the Sounds of Sizzling Bacon Gently Lull You to Sleep

Forty-five minutes, three pounds of bacon, one sleepy viewer.
Paula Mejia January 30, 2018
You’re awake now, don’t worry.
31 days of halloween

Tell Us About Your Most Terrifying Nightmare

What haunts your sleep?
Sarah Laskow October 23, 2017
<em>The Nightmare</em>, Henry Fuseli, 1781.
31 days of halloween

The Original ‘Nightmare’ Was a Demon That Sat on Your Chest and Suffocated You

Maere, mara, mahr, mahrt, mårt—by any name, it was and still is a terrifying visitor.
Sarah Laskow October 23, 2017
Originally, only the wealthy could afford bed coverings.
sleep

Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights?

There's great comfort in being covered.
Dan Nosowitz August 15, 2017