The Forgotten History of Sleeping in Two Shifts

Zaria Gorvett. The forgotten medieval habit of ‘two sleeps’. BBC, January 2022

For much of human history, people didn’t sleep through the night in one long stretch. Instead, they slept in two parts: an early “first sleep,” followed by a quiet period of wakefulness around midnight, and then a second sleep until morning. This pattern was so common that people once referred to it casually in court records, letters, and literature.

Historian Roger Ekirch uncovered this forgotten habit while studying life before the Industrial Revolution. He found that the time between sleeps, often called “the watch,” was used for prayer, conversation, chores, or simply reflection. People didn’t see this midnight waking as a problem; it was a normal part of nightly life.

The two-sleep pattern likely existed because nights were long and dark before artificial lighting. People went to bed earlier and woke naturally in the middle of the night. Modern experiments show that when people live without electric light, their sleep often returns to this older rhythm on its own.

Biphasic sleep began to disappear in the 19th century as gas lamps, electric lights, and factory schedules pushed bedtimes later while mornings stayed the same. Sleep became compressed into a single block, and the old pattern faded from memory. Understanding this history may help explain why waking up at night doesn’t always mean something is wrong. For most of human history, it was simply how people slept.

How Our Neighborhoods Shape Our Health

Noaeen, M., Rostami, A., Ghanem, I. et al. Mapping neighbourhood-level drivers of type 2 diabetes for precision public health using predictive and causal machine learning. Sci Rep, January 2026.

Type 2 diabetes is often discussed as a disease of individual lifestyle (diet, exercise, and genetics). But a new study from the University of Toronto reveals a deeper truth: where you live may be just as important as how you live.

Using artificial intelligence and advanced causal modeling, researchers analyzed data from over 1,100 neighborhoods across the Greater Toronto Area. Instead of focusing on individuals, they examined neighborhood-level features such as obesity rates, physical activity, income, age structure, mental health, and work stress. Their goal was not only to predict where diabetes is most common, but also to understand which factors actually drive that risk.

The results were striking. The AI models were able to identify high-diabetes neighborhoods with more than 95% accuracy. The strongest predictors were familiar – high obesity, physical inactivity, and older populations, but the causal analysis uncovered something more surprising: mental health was one of the most powerful protective factors. Neighborhoods with better average mental well-being had substantially lower diabetes rates, even after accounting for income, age, and lifestyle.

Work stress and smoking, on the other hand, were found to raise diabetes risk, highlighting the biological toll of chronic psychological strain. Interestingly, neighborhoods with higher proportions of recent immigrants and visible minorities tended to have lower diabetes prevalence, reflecting the well-known “healthy immigrant effect” and the protective role of social cohesion and cultural practices.

The study suggests a new vision for public health: instead of treating diabetes only in clinics, we should also treat it in communities, through mental-health support, stress reduction, walkable streets, and social infrastructure. In the age of data science, healing may begin not just with the patient, but with the neighborhood.

The Hidden Effects of Living in Space

Wijdan Al-Ahmadi et al., Spaceflight alters molecular networks linked to diverse human diseases in a single cellular model. Sci Adv, January 2026.

When astronauts return from space, many report strange changes. Their hearts beat differently. Their sleep is disturbed. Their vision becomes blurry. Their muscles weaken. For years, scientists have known about these effects, but not fully understood why they happen. A new study gives us a powerful clue by showing what happens inside human cells when they are exposed to space.

In this study, researchers sent human immune cells to the International Space Station and compared them with the same cells grown on Earth. They then examined how thousands of genes behaved in each environment. Nearly one third of all active genes changed their activity in space. This shows that spaceflight does not just cause small damage. It reshapes the way cells function.

Some of the biggest changes were seen in genes linked to the heart and muscles. These genes help control the electrical signals that keep the heart beating normally. In space, they became much more active. On Earth, the same genes are linked to irregular heartbeats, which may help explain why astronauts sometimes develop heart problems during long missions.

The study also found changes in genes that control sleep and the body clock, including those linked to melatonin. This matches the sleep problems many astronauts experience. Genes involved in vision and other senses were also affected, especially those connected to vitamin A and eyesight, helping explain vision changes in space. At the same time, genes that repair damaged DNA were reduced, likely because of cosmic radiation, making cells more vulnerable to long term damage.

These findings suggest that space activates the same biological pathways that cause heart disease, nerve problems, and aging on Earth, but in a much shorter time. By studying life in orbit, scientists may learn not only how to protect astronauts, but also how to better understand illness here on Earth.

How Digital Scans Are Helping Kids Get Faster Dental Care

Schulz-Weidner, N., Schraml, E.M., Frodermann, T. et al. Comparison of dental findings between dentists and pediatricians using intraoral scan-based teledentistry in children. Scientific Reports, September 2025.

A new study in Germany shows that “teledentistry” (using digital mouth scans to check children’s teeth) can be just as effective as a traditional in-person exam. Researchers wanted to test whether pediatricians, who are usually not dental specialists, could spot dental problems using intraoral scans (a special camera that creates a 3D image of teeth) and decide when kids need treatment. The study included 70 participants aged 4-17. Each child had a regular dental check-up and then had their mouth scanned with an intraoral scan. These scans were later reviewed by a pediatrician, who received basic training on children’s dental health, and a dentist. The researchers compared what they found to the in-person dental exams and found promising results. Both the pediatrician and the dentist were able to identify cavities, tooth defects, and urgent dental needs almost as well as the in-person checkups. Pediatricians were nearly as accurate as dentists in deciding whether a child needed quick dental care. However, dentists were still better at spotting detailed issues like the exact type of tooth fillings, but this did not affect treatment decisions in most cases. The results show that there is no significant difference between digital teledental findings and in-person exams. This study proves that with some basic training, pediatricians can play a key role in early dental screening, especially in areas where dentists are hard to reach. Non-dental professionals can now be more involved in early oral health assessments. Using this method means fewer missed problems, faster treatment, and healthier smiles for children.

What Lies Beneath The Outer Layers Of A Star?

Schulze, Steve, Avishay Gal-Yam, Luc Dessart, Adam A. Miller, Stan E. Woosley, Yi Yang, Mattia Bulla, et al. “Extremely Stripped Supernova Reveals a Silicon and Sulfur Formation Site.” Nature News, August 20, 2025.

Astronomers captured a rare glimpse inside a star as it exploded, revealing what lies beneath its outer layers. Dr. Steve Schulze and his team observed a supernova, SN 2021-yfj, unlike any seen before. Schulze explains that stars are like giant cosmic onions: hydrogen on the outside, then helium, carbon, oxygen, silicon, and finally the iron core. Normally, we only see the outer layers during a star’s death, but this star had already shed nearly all of its shells before it exploded. That allowed scientists to look much deeper into its structure and confirm long-standing predictions that the inner core has an oxygen-silicon shell.

One of the most surprising findings was the presence of helium. Helium is an element that should have been burned away at a much earlier stage of the star’s life. This discovery has left scientists puzzled and is challenging existing models of stellar evolution and supernova explosions.

Researchers believe the star was originally extremely massive—about 60 times the mass of our Sun—and likely lost much of its material over thousands of years through a process called “pair-instability,” where repeated pulses of energy blew away outer layers before the final explosion.

Schulze says the next step is to find more stars like this to understand whether 2021-YFJ represents a new class of supernovae. This discovery may even lead to a “gold rush” as astronomers search for other missing links in the life cycles of stars.

How Sleep Cycles Impact Our Health

Minami, Y., Kishi, A. & Ueda, H.R. Preventive circadian medicine: improving health with sleep checkups. npj Biological Timing and Sleep, September 2025

A new study investigates how a single night of shifting the sleep-wake cycle impacts glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and hunger signals in healthy young adults. Sixteen men and women took part in a highly controlled lab experiment. They followed a sleep schedule for several nights before the test. On the test day, they shifted their sleep-wake cycle by 12 hours to simulate a night shift. They stayed awake all night and slept during the day. Results showed significantly higher blood glucose levels and a reduction in insulin sensitivity, despite participants having identical food intake. The test also caused ghrelin (hunger hormone) to increase, leading to stronger feelings of hunger, while leptin (satiety hormone) decreased, which could lead to eating more than usual. Participants also reported stronger cravings for high-calorie foods like sweets and snacks. Even a single night of circadian misalignment is enough to cause noticeable metabolic disturbances. These hormonal changes may lead to overeating, which, over time, could result in weight gain and insulin resistance if the circadian disruption becomes chronic. This study helps explain why night shift workers and those with irregular sleep patterns have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic diseases. Staying awake all night and sleeping during the day even once significantly disrupts glucose metabolism and boosts hunger signals. Repeating this cycle regularly increases the risk of obesity and diabetes. The findings highlight the importance of stable sleep-wake cycles for maintaining metabolic health and suggest that strategies to reduce circadian disruption could benefit public health.

How much sleep is good for health?

Sabie S et al. Association of sleep duration at age 50, 60, and 70 years with risk of multimorbidity in the UK: 25-year follow-up of the Whitehall II cohort study. PLOS Medicine, October 2022.

Sleep is an essential function to help restore, rest and rejuvenate the body and mind. Yet, many people neglect a good night’s sleep. A recent study followed up 8000 people at the ages of 50, 60 and 70 over a 25-year period and found that short sleep duration is associated with a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with multiple chronic diseases, also called multimorbidity. Scientists examined the relationship between how long each participant slept daily, mortality, and whether they had been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, arthritis, dementia or diabetes. Participants who have five hours of sleep or less at age 50 were 20% more likely to have been diagnosed with a chronic disease and 40% more likely to be diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases compared to others who slept for up to seven hours. Moreover, sleeping for five hours or less at the age of 50, 60, and 70 was linked to a 30% to 40% increased risk of multimorbidity again when compared with those who slept for up to seven hours. Finally, sleeping for five hours or less at age 50 was associated with 25% increased risk of mortality suggesting that short sleep duration increases the risk of chronic diseases that can eventually lead to death. While sleep habits and structure change as people age, scientists recommend sleeping for 7 to 8 hours a night. Any sleep duration above or below these numbers have been associated with individual chronic diseases. This study adds to a growing body of research that highlights the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. In addition to how many hours you sleep, it is also important to make your room quiet and dark enough with a comfortable temperature. Keeping electronic devices away and avoiding heavy meals before you sleep also make a big difference for a healthy sleep.

Magnetic bacteria fight against cancer

Gwisai T et al. Magnetic torque–driven living microrobots for increased tumor infiltration. Science Robotics, October 2022.

One of the biggest challenges in the cancer therapeutics is to find efficient ways for anti-cancer drugs to reach the tumors they target. Researchers showed that they can now use bacteria to cross the blood vessel wall and infiltrate tumor tissue. In a recent study, researchers focused on the naturally magnetic bacteria Magnetospirillum, which can respond to magnetic fields and can be controlled by magnets. They first conjugated liposomes to the bacteria, tagged them with a fluorescent dye and demonstrated that the “cargo” was accumulated inside the cancerous tissue in cell culture. Then in animal models they showed that the magnetic bacteria were able to cross the vascular wall near the cancerous growth and migrate deep into the tumor’s interior when a rotating magnetic field applied at the tumor from outside the body. In principle, there are two major ways that bacteria can fight against cancer. First, they can carry anti-cancer drugs into the tumor. Second, they can damage and eliminate tumor cells in coordination with the immune system. It is now technically possible to modify bacteria using synthetic biology to optimize their therapeutic effect, reduce side effects and make them safer. This study opens up the possibility to use a magnetic field to control any clinically used therapeutic bacteria that have no natural magnetism as well. 

Secrets of Saturn’s rings

Wisdom J et al. Loss of a satellite could explain Saturn’s obliquity and young rings. Science, September 2022.

Scientists have long debated the origin and age of Saturn’s rings. Why are they much younger than the planet? Are they a permanent feature of Saturn? Or will they someday disappear? A new study provided fresh insights into the secrets of Saturn’s rings. The astronomers collected and analyzed data from 41 solar events, in which Saturn’s rings passed in front of the sun as seen from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft that orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017. In combination with extensive computer simulations, they came up with the following model. Saturn, which currently has 83 moons, had at least one more moon, nicknamed in this study as Chrysalis. Chrysalis was tugging at the Saturn in a way that allowed it to have gravitational interaction with Neptune. About 160 million years ago, Chrysalis got too close to Saturn and created powerful tides that ripped the moon to shreds. Much of its debris fell into Saturn, and the rest spread out over the following hundred thousand years to form the iconic rings. Moreover, the loss of Chrysalis was enough to remove Saturn from Neptune’s gravitation and left it with its present-day unusually large 27 degree-tilt on its axis. The current model can explain several otherwise puzzling properties of Saturn at once and is consistent with the measured age and mass of the rings. It is noteworthy that these studies do not solely serve the purpose to feed into our curiosity about mysterious objects in space. Ring systems around giant planets provide invaluable test beds for investigating fundamental physical properties and processes in our solar system. Understanding the formation and evolution of ring systems could also help us to understand how planets, including Earth, form.

Experiments have proved lack of sleep as a cause of death. Lab mice that are deprived of sleep for three to four consecutive days eventually die. Lack of sleep for a long period of time, especially when combined with excessive fatigue, poses a serious threat to our health.

There are intensive research efforts to understand the mysterious workings of the biological mechanisms underlying sleep. Human beings spend almost a third of their lives in sleep. Yet, the basic sleep mechanism and its functions are still not completely known. Each of many theories proposed for understanding the secrets of sleep provide different evidence, but no guaranteed results have been attained so far. Initially, sleep was considered a rest period. However, although brain activity lowers during sleep, the brain continues actively working. It can be said that the brain rests itself by working during sleep.

Scientists classify a person’s state of consciousness as one of three stages:

1. Wakefulness
2. REM sleep
3. Deep sleep

According to this classification, sleep is divided into deep sleep and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. During a night’s sleep, there is a loop of REM sleep and deep sleep. Approximately 90 minutes of deep sleep is followed by REM sleep, which lasts between 5 and 30 minutes. Approximately 75% of the total sleep span is deep sleep; 25% is REM sleep. REM sleep happens while slipping into sleep from wakefulness. Just before waking from sleep, a short-term REM is observed.

During the first hours of sleep, REM spans are shorter, and they grow longer during the last hours of sleep. If a person is extremely tired, they experience extremely short REM sleep spans within the first hour of their sleep. They may even slip into deep sleep without REM. Right after mid-sleep, REM sleep periods last longer. If a person is deprived of all or partial sleep – such as the deep sleep or REM – they will need to sleep longer at the next opportunity. If they are deprived of REM sleep or deep sleep for longer periods, they will have longer deep sleep.

REM Sleep

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is given this name due to the intensive and fast eye movements during this sleep stage. During REM, not only the eyes but also hands, arms, legs, and fingers move. An onlooker may think the sleeper is fully awake. However, scientists are unable to fully explain the reason why it is difficult waking a person in REM, although they are active as if they are awake – this is a paradox. In fact, a person in deep sleep may be awakened easier, by either sound or touch. If it is difficult to wake a person during the REM stages in their sleep, it may also be considered as a paradox for that person to wake from REM sleep.

During REM sleep, contrary to rapid eye movements and gestures, a person’s muscles are extremely relaxed and soft, to the extent of a wrist drop. This is called REM paralysis.

The reasons, mechanisms, and even benefits of REM sleep are not known for certain. The newest theory in sleep research claims the relationship between REM sleep and acetylcholine secretion. Acetylcholine is a brain hormone that triggers movement. Yet, acetylcholine typically causes wakefulness. This, too, appears as another paradox.

Dreams seen during the REM stage are remembered more clearly. The limbic system, including the hippocampus and amygdala, is active during REM sleep, thus it is assumed that it is easier to commit dreams to memory during this stage. The hippocampus is tasked with committing (reinforcing) information.

During REM sleep, a person’s heartbeat and breathing are more frequent and irregular. This also relates to what a person sees in their dream. During this stage, the basal metabolism rate is higher or equal to that of wakefulness. Electroencephalography (EEG) readings register beta waves, which normally show during wakefulness. Alpha waves show during times of calm, when the brain rests during wakefulness, such as at times when one closes their eyes and dispels thoughts. However, when the brain is actively dealing with an issue or when a person experiences an upset, beta waves appear. Beta waves also show during REM stage. This shows that the brain is active during REM stage.

Deep sleep

This stage of sleep is also called low wave sleep or delta sleep. During this stage, movements are at minimum, and the muscle tone is harder. Heartbeat, breathing, basic metabolic rate, and blood pressure are low. Internal organs like the stomach, intestines, urinary tract, and even the liver minimize their activities and slip into an actual rest.

During this stage, dreams and even nightmares may also be seen. However, one cannot remember a majority of dreams when they wake up. It is assumed that the traffic between the cortex and the lower structures of the brain are disengaged during the deep sleep stage. People wake up from nightmares, only to usually remember the last part.

EEG readings during deep sleep stage show delta waves. The presence of delta waves hints at the disengaged traffic between the cortex and the lower nervous system components (thalamus, hypothalamus, brain stem, hippocampus). This condition also shows that the person is in deep rest, free from pain and other bodily stimuli.

Secreted at night, melatonin is a hormone that protects against cancer and slows down the aging process. Melatonin also plays a role in lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) and balancing body heat and blood pressure. Melatonin secretion starts around 10:00 p.m. and reaches its maximum around 5:00 a.m. That’s why, the most ideal sleep is after 10:00 p.m. when melatonin secretion starts. Bedside lamps are not suggested as they hinder the secretion of this night-bound hormone. People should also avoid conditions such as stress, smoking, extreme lighting, lack of adequate daylight, and working at lengthy periods, which lower melatonin level.

Fear of obesity may sometimes lead people to an extreme diet, and this may cause a deadly disease: anorexia nervosa. The sufferer initially tries to lose weight by going on a diet, but the illness soon reaches the point of no return as the result of extreme dieting. At this point, weight loss cannot be stopped; the person can no longer eat, even if he or she may want to. If they do manage to eat a little food, they throw it up. This disease and many other health conditions are connected with how our bodily functions like appetite are regulated with the secretions in our brain.

Discovered in 1998, orexin is a neuropeptide, or protein-like substance secreted by the brain. It is responsible for regulating states like wakefulness, appetite, and arousal. There are tens of thousands of neurons in the lateral hypothalamus of the human brain that secrete orexin. It was first discovered to increase appetite, but later other functions – especially in relation internal organs – were identified, including regulating the body’s energy use.

Orexins play very important roles in the development and maturation of the brown adipose tissue, which is especially important for infants. The fats in this tissue are directly converted into heat. It is the duty of the adipose tissue to protect the body from illnesses in cold weather. Experiments on lab rats have revealed that body temperature decreases in animals without orexin in their body, and they fail to consume fats. The conclusion is that orexins help boost energy consumption, protect the body from cold-related illnesses by raising the body temperature, and prevent obesity.

Orexins also help regulate metabolic activity and its speed. They are also responsible for regulating the circadian rhythm, or the daily sleep-wake cycle, especially by helping us stay awake. Orexins help increase the secretion of dopamine, norepinephrin, histamine, and acetylcholine hormones, which are in charge of the proper functioning of the daily sleep-wake cycle. All these hormones are substances that increase wakefulness.

The destruction of neurons responsible for producing orexin leads to a severe illness called narcolepsy, which is a serious sleep disorder. Patients suffer from sudden fits of involuntary and extreme sleepiness, irregular nighttime sleep, sleep apnea, various hallucinations, and muscular paralysis called cataplexy. They may suddenly fall into REM asleep while driving and watching television. The muscular paralysis accompanied by REM sleep makes sufferers collapse wherever they may be. They sometimes cannot move and remain motionless, even when they wake up. The fits of sleep strike with or without forewarning and make the need for sleep impossible to fight off. Since frequent uncontrollable collapses may cause injury, narcoleptics know they have to take precautions when they perform daily tasks. Generally appearing in a person’s twenties, the disorder may result from organic factors such as inflammation or a tumor in the brain or other underlying hostile causes.

Narcolepsy is untreatable. It can sever patients from real life and incapacitate them, leaving them unable to perform routine daily tasks. Treatments that are available can only make patients’ lives bearable.

Cataplexy is a condition in which muscles become dysfunctional, speech becomes incomprehensible, and the body collapses due to loss of strength in the neck or knees. Fits may also appear in the form of emotional responses such as excessive laughter, anger, or fear. The duration of cataplexy may last from a few seconds to a few minutes. Patients do not become unconscious during the attack; they just lose control of their physical functions. More often than not, people who have a cataplexy attack in public places seem to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They can see and hear others, but they cannot respond.

Sleep paralysis is a temporary state of inability to speak or move during sleep. Although it may look frightening, it is in fact not dangerous. Hypnotic hallucinations, on the other hand, are extremely vivid and frightening dream-like states experienced when falling asleep or waking. An extreme tendency for daytime sleep and hypnotic hallucinations are consequences suffered by people who have not had enough sleep, whereas cataplexy is unique to narcoleptic patients.

Orexins are also responsible for increasing the amount of nutrition a body consumes. This duty is not about meeting the body’s daily diet. Orexins tend to increase appetite, even when the body does not need feeding. They suppress the feeling of satiety, causing the person to continue eating. The willpower should kick in at this point, and the person should use it to stop eating.

The secretion of orexin is influenced by two opposite hormones. The first is leptin, secreted in obese people. Leptin’s duty is to prevent the person from overeating by reducing orexin secretion. The second is ghrelin, a digestive hormone secreted when the stomach is empty. Ghrelin increases orexin secretion, causing an increase in appetite.

It has also been discovered that orexins are connected with smoking and drug addiction. Medicines that reduce orexin secretion are used in addiction treatment. Orexins stimulate the neurons of pleasure in the brain, the reward centers, and impact a person’s happiness or sadness. A reduction in orexin secretion leads to unhappiness and sadness.

References

• Herring W. J. et al. “Orexin receptor antagonists for the treatment of insomnia and potential treatment of other neuropsychiatric indications”, J Sleep Res., 2018; e12782. doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12782.
• Kaushik, M. K. et al. “Continuous intrathecal orexin delivery inhibits cataplexy in a murine model of narcolepsy”, PNAS, June 5, 2018 115 (23) 6046–605.
• Zhou, W. et al. “Activation of orexin system facilitates anesthesia emergence and pain control”, PNAS, November 6, 2018 115 (45) E10740–E10747.

Divine manifestation (tajalli) is the attainment of inner light as a result of special Divine gifts. This is experienced by travelers on the way of Truth who are committed to prayer. Tajalli is not only the manifestation of Divine mysteries under the lights of Divine knowledge (marifa), but also that they are known in one’s conscience and are visible by the heart, where Divine names and attributes reveal themselves. Every traveler can attain these mysteries in proportion to their inclinations and current spiritual level.

Hunting is for things that are not in one’s possession. Those who have awakened to Divine truths or are on that path, are on constant watch for manifestations, mysteries, grace, blessings, knowledge, love, and spiritual delight from God. Others who have been defeated by heedlessness and live a life uninformed of truths, however, neither feel the ever-blowing winds of manifestation nor do they feel the thrill of filling their heart with a Divine benefit or radiance.

We can use “hunting” for attaining other qualities and virtues, too, like good character, mindfulness of the true spirit of faith, observance of the rights of God and His servants, to practice what one knows in theory, and to attain true sincerity and excellence. These are virtues the value of which we cannot truly appreciate. Hunting these virtues is impossible if a heart has fallen prey to fatal viruses like ostentation, pretentiousness, and fake behavior, and thus has lost its balance. Those who are in search of these virtues first have to save themselves from falling prey to evil and the carnal soul by constantly keeping their hearts pure and clean.

Secluded spots

Hunting is practiced in secluded, deserted places. It is important to find a place of seclusion where Divine manifestations are abundant, and where one can explore the horizons of the life of heart and spirit.

This does not mean it is not possible when there are others around. We can even say there are many blessings and gifts that are earned by worship conducted together with others, gifts that cannot be gained by individual worship. There are times when the enthusiasm of one individual can have an effect on the whole congregation. The sincere appeals of a prayer leader or the heartfelt tears of a person may contribute to heavenly atmosphere for the whole community. Many have lived such experiences during their visit to the Holy Ka‘ba in Mecca or the tomb of the Prophet in Medina. In such places, hearts soften and resonate with profound feelings, and eyes shed tears. When one happens to be in such a moment and hearts are open to manifestations, he or she has to make the best of themselves, in hopes of benefitting from this shower of blessings. Nevertheless, it is always a possibility that one may fall to pretentiousness when among others, which may fail you in your “hunt.” At times, even one’s overflowing feelings, amplifying voice, and even sometimes tears, are not immune from such viruses.

A soul devoted to hunting illuminations and manifestations from the Truth does his or her best to seek lonely corners or travel to serene places of solitude for moments of one-on-one togetherness with their Lord. With all awareness of being servants before God, they stand for prayer in places where no one but He sees and hears. As they stand, bow, and prostrate for a long time and removed from the world, they sometimes forget if it is their first or second prostration. At that moment of most nearness to the Divine, they glorify Him from all shortcomings. “Do not let our hearts swerve…” (Qur’an 3:18) they pray, maybe a hundred times, in the words of their Lord about matters they feel concerned. “My Lord, I have been unfair to myself by not living up to my best. I have done unfitting things. I ask Your forgiveness!” They voice their inner self. Our Lord shows favor upon such an inclination of His servants and their prayers are never left unanswered. Thus, we could perhaps say such a move by a servant is a hunt for manifestations, while moments of prostration are the most convenient times for such a hunt.

The bright darkness of the night

Nights provide some of the most convenient periods for manifestation hunting. Our biological heart, soul, and the spiritual heart (al-latifa al-Rabbaniyya) all enter a state of metaphysical resonance beyond expectations when involved with deep contemplation during the night. Reunion with God happens, if at all, at night. The brightest of all work is done in the heart of darkness. Distances are covered at night. Ascension to the heavens is possible at night. There was perhaps no single night which the Messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad, did not celebrate in prayer and contemplation, peace be upon him. At times, he would recite the verses towards the end of the Chapter “the Family of Imran,” which urge us to contemplate on the universe and creation; he would do maybe one recitation after another, turn his eyes to the heavens, and cry in witness of the Divine glory. He spent long hours at night standing, bowing, and in prostration.

O my eye, what is sleep; come, wake up at night
Watch the stars, see their travels at night

Look and observe all this wisdom in the universe
Find its Artist and be impressed with Him at night

During the day, you become heedless
Occupied with many things other than Him

Be ashamed of the Beloved, the Master of your heart,
free yourself from heedlessness

Sleeping unmindfully does not befit a lowly servant
Speak to the All-Merciful in compassion at night

If you love the Self-Sustaining One, do not sleep all night
So you may, my soul, live with the Ever-Living One at night

Lovers are awake at night; you too do not sleep
So the Beloved appears at the sight of your heart at night

The heart is the home of the Lord, purify it
So He may descend upon His throne at night

Eat less, sleep less, reach amazement, and free yourself
Then find a life of eternity and be His guest at night

Come near to people for God, day and night
O Hakki, burn in the fire of love at night

Ibrahim Hakki

Place, time, and the person’s state of being

For travelers on the path on the way to Truth, it is important to make the best of times when our hearts are softened, and our eyes and souls are filled with glory. Just as being at places like Ka‘ba, Arafat, Muzdalifa, and at the tomb of the Prophet and celebrating times of abundance like the Night of Power (laylat al-Qadr) or the special moment on Friday, are important for Muslims, it is equally important to benefit from moments when one is in spiritual states like compassion, immersion, passion, and stupor with Divine presence. These are the best of times to offer invocations.

Biggest extinction in Earth’s history caused by global warming—and how it could happen again

Penn JL et al. Temperature-dependent hypoxia explains biogeography and severity of end-Permian marine mass extinction. Science, December 2018.

Some 252 million years ago, long before dinosaurs, the vast majority of species on Earth were wiped out in the “Great Dying,” the worst mass extinction in our planet’s history. Up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of land animals were killed off during this event. Scientists have been trying to find the cause for this catastrophic event, which marked the end of the Permian period. One study suggested that a type of microbe spouted large amounts of methane into the atmosphere. Other studies suggested the event was triggered by a series of volcanic eruptions that released deadly amount of carbon dioxide into the air and led to cataclysmic ocean acidification. A new research study now claims that the Great Dying was primarily as a result of rapidly increasing temperatures. The researchers examined the marine fossil records and simulated the climate conditions to observe the effects of rising temperatures 252 million years ago. Researchers first ran a climate model with Earth’s configuration during the Permian period, when the tropical ocean temperatures at the surface had reached some 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) higher. The model then reproduced dramatic changes in the oceans; oceans lost about 80 percent of their oxygen and about half the oceans’ seafloor became completely oxygen-free. To investigate the effects of these paleoclimate changes on marine species, the researchers then analyzed the varying oxygen and temperature sensitivities of 61 modern marine species including crustaceans, fish, shellfish, corals and sharks. Their calculations predicted that many marine organisms went extinct under these conditions, especially the organisms that lived far from the tropics were most sensitive to oxygen levels and they were nearly completely wiped out. To test this prediction, researchers analyzed late-Permian fossil distributions from the Paleoceanography Database and confirmed that species far from the equator suffered most during the event. The agreement between the simulations and fossils strongly suggests that climate warming and oxygen loss was a primary cause of the extinction. By 2100, warming in the upper ocean is projected to approach 20 percent of warming in the late Permian, and by the year 2300 it will reach between 35 and 50 percent. This study highlights the potential for a mass extinction arising from a similar mechanism under anthropogenic climate change. It is also a clear warning that Earth is on the path to another devastating mass extinction. According to experts, Earth could already be undergoing a sixth mass extinction that would kill off most animal and plant species. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature predicts that 99.9% of critically endangered species and 67% of endangered species will be lost within the next 100 years.

New target for therapeutic brain stimulation to treat depression found

Rao VR et al. Direct Electrical Stimulation of Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Acutely Improves Mood in Individuals with Symptoms of Depression. Current Biology, November 2018.

Researchers have finally found an effective target in the brain for electrical stimulation to improve mood in people suffering from depression. Stimulation of a brain region called the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) reliably produced acute improvement in mood in patients who suffered from depression. In a recent study, researchers studied 25 patients with epilepsy who had electrodes placed in the brain for medical reasons to locate the origin of their seizures. Many of those patients also suffered from depression, which is often comorbid with epilepsy. With the patients’ consent, researchers took advantage of those electrodes to deliver small electrical pulses to areas of the brain thought to be involved in regulating mood. The researchers focused their attention and the electrical stimulation on the OFC, which is a key hub for mood-related circuitry. Moreover, they specifically induced a pattern of activity in brain regions connected to OFC that was similar to patterns seen when patients naturally experienced positive mood states. The researchers applied these stimulation regimes while collecting verbal mood reports and questionnaire scores. Analyses of these reports revealed that unilateral stimulation of the lateral OFC produced acute, dose-dependent mood-state improvement in subjects with moderate-to-severe baseline depression. There is still substantial work remains to be completed before the deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatments could enter routine clinical practice. One major challenge in this study is to see whether stimulation of OFC produces durable improvement in mood over longer periods of time. Biomedical engineers hope to develop a medical device for patients with treatment-resistant mood disorders that can monitor brain activity in OFC and stimulate only when needed to keep that activity within a healthy range. Ultimately, it would be ideal if activity in mood-related brain circuits could be normalized indefinitely without patients needing to do anything.

How screen time can disrupt sleep

Mure LS et al. Sustained Melanopsin Photoresponse Is Supported by Specific Roles of β-Arrestin 1 and 2 in Deactivation and Regeneration of Photopigment. Cell Reports, 2018

For most of us, the time spent staring at screens on computers, phones and tablets adds up to many hours in a day and can often disrupt sleep. In a recent work, researchers now have pinpointed how certain cells in the eye process ambient light and reset our internal clocks, the daily cycles of physiological processes known as the circadian rhythm. When these cells are exposed to artificial light late into the night, our internal clocks can get confused, resulting in a host of health issues. A protein called melanopsin in these light-sensitive cells helps them process ambient light. Prolonged exposure to light causes melanopsin to regenerate and continuous regeneration of melanopsin triggers signals to the brain that inform it about ambient light conditions. The brain then uses this information to regulate sleep, alertness, and consciousness. In this study, the researchers turned on the production of melanopsin in retinal cells in mice and found that some of these cells are able to sustain light responses, but others lose sensitivity. Further investigations found that proteins called beta arrestin-1 and beta arrestin-2 help keep the melanopsin sensitive when exposed to light. One arrestin does its conventional job of arresting the response, and the other helps the melanopsin protein reload its retinal light-sensing co-factor. When these two steps are done in quick succession, the cell appears to respond continuously to light. This research uncovers the mechanisms behind how cells being exposed to artificial light confuses the internal body clock, and the ability to regulate sleep. It is hoped that this discovery could lead to new targets that could counter the impact of artificial light, for example by finding ways to influence melanopsin to reset the internal clock. This could lead to new treatments for insomnia, jet lag, and migraines.

Sleep is a period of renewal that prepares us for the new day and enables our brain and body to perform duties that they cannot while awake.

Growing numbers of businesses are including good sleep in their wellness programs for their employees. Many of them now have sleep pods in their offices to improve productivity. In addition to diet, weight, exercise and smoking cessation, sleep wellness is now becoming part of our tools to prevent health problems; and this is a good thing.

Sleep is a period of renewal that prepares us for the new day and enables our brain and body to perform duties that they cannot while awake. Having a sufficient amount of high-quality sleep is vital for us to be healthier and to feel better during the day. Yet the number of people experiencing sleeping problems is on the rise.

The duration of healthy sleep varies from person to person. If the night’s sleep lacks quality –say, for instance because of frequent interruptions for the need to go to toilet – the total duration spend in bed extends. The craving or need for more sleep as a result becomes a sleep problem.

Sleep deprivation prevents certain brain functions that are enabled only during sleep. Sleep is necessary for learning and memory. Moreover, healthy sleep is crucial for appetite regulation, so insufficient sleep may result in weight gain.

In the general sense, sufficient and quality sleep is also essential for overcoming diseases and disorders. Therefore, many patients in the intensive care unit, especially those suffering from cerebral bleeding, edemas, or a heart attack, are put to sleep with drugs. Studies have shown that sleep is crucial for fast recovery of post-operational scars. It is essential that long hospital visits should be avoided so that the patient can have the much needed sleep.

Because metabolism slows down during sleep, all the bodily energy is redirected towards curing the brain and the body. Sleep is the time for repairing any part damaged during the day. Sufferers of sleep problems run a higher risk of developing illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. The number of neurons is important for memory as well. Their number decreases with age, weakening our memory. Age-related memory impairment stems from a breakdown of the brain’s communication network and can be prevented by healthy sleep. In addition, sleeplessness correlates with depression and cancer, too. The immune system also deteriorates in people experiencing sleep deprivation because it cannot be renewed and strengthened during sleep.

Coffee, tea, energy drinks, and other substances containing caffeine can prevent sleep for as long as six hours. That is, black coffee or strong tea you have in the afternoon may make it difficult for you to fall asleep at night. Similarly, if you have food that is high in fat and protein at a late dinner, you may experience problems drifting into sleep.

Working hours

Some people have to work at night so they can sleep during the daytime. People doing night shifts, for example doctors, nurses and police officers, frequently develop serious heart and brain problems. Our brains are created so as to stay asleep at night and awake during the day, so people who go to bed late at night experience more health problems. Sleeping during the day after a sleepless night leads to sleeplessness the following night. However, a nap (siesta) in the afternoon is extremely useful in that it virtually enables renewed morning freshness thanks to re-regulation of hormones.

Our body clocks are influenced by sunrise and sunset. Modern people are exposed to less sunlight during day and more artificial light at night, which has an impact on the time we fall asleep. Increased exposure to the morning sun and decreased exposure to artificial light (especially from phones and computers) can help our body clock readjust to a normal sleep schedule and hence help us sleep earlier.

Fixed waking hour

One of the most critical conditions for healthy sleep is to have a fixed waking hour. You should wake up at the same time no matter what time you went to bed the previous night. In fact, as a rule of thumb, you should get up from your bed at the same time in the morning whether it is weekend or weekday, work day or holiday, so that you can have a good sleep the following night.

The more tired you are when you go to bed, the harder it gets to drift into sleep. You should therefore avoid vigorous physical activity within a few hours before bedtime.

Contrary to widespread belief, reading books in bed, watching TV, or spending time on the mobile phone or computer makes it harder to fall asleep. Such activities should be done out of bed in another room, if possible, and the bed should be used for sleeping. In fact, sleeping somewhere other than your bed may also harm your healthy sleeping cycle.

Residents in big cities generally wake up very early to arrive at work or school on time and get back home quite late due to traffic. Sleeping late during the weekdays and waking up too early lead to an accumulation of sleeplessness, which needs to be made up for. Some research studies also have shown that late risers run higher health risks than early risers.

Certain regulations can be put into effect to help reduce sleep problems. For one thing, flexible working hours would enable more employees to start work later but more refreshed. Moreover, some businesses can arrange work schedules of their employees according to their body clocks. As a result, the performance and efficacy of the employees could be improved. Buildings can be made to let in more sunlight and thus dependence on blue light can be reduced.

Our need for sleep, daily and weekly, is more or less stable. This need is also related to your age. Sleep duration increases with your age: it peaks in your twenties and then your body clock tends to move back as you get on in years. As you get older, you need less sleep.

Sleep for physical formatting

Sleep used to be considered to be a time of rest until recently. Today, however, sleep is accepted as a time for restructuring and physical formatting. Snoring, sleep apnea, and frequent visits to the toilet prevent high quality sleep.

Growth hormones are produced the most during deep sleep. We should therefore be particularly careful about ensuring that children get enough and healthy (deep) sleep schedules.

Position

Sleep position is important, especially for the elderly. A position should be chosen that is least painful. For instance, the heart is believed to be more at ease when one sleeps on the right side. In this position, breathing takes place more through the left nostril rather than the right, enabling the sympathetic system to rest and the parasympathetic system to take over. When the parasympathetic system starts to work, drifting into sleep becomes easier and the duration as well as the quality of sleep increase. Sleeping on the right has been reported to be the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

When you lie in bed, gaps remain between the bed and our neck, waist and knees. These gaps may need to be filled particularly for the elderly and those who suffer from pain in one’s back or neck. Herniated discs have become more common in employees doing desk jobs. A pillow can be folded slightly to support the neck, or special pillows that take the shape of the head and neck can be used. It may not always be necessary to fill in the gaps but if you have backache or hernia it might be necessary to support the waist. The support of a small pillow can be helpful in some cases of knee problems. In other cases, a soft pillow placed between the knees can be helpful.

Numerous studies in recent years have reported that cupping (hijama) and foot reflexology therapy can increase sleep quality. These two methods reportedly help discharge excessive static electricity and psychological stress that have accumulated in the body and thus make it easier to drift into sleep.

Oversleeping is as dangerous as sleep deprivation. It has been found that people who sleep more than eight hours a day have a higher risk of heart failure. A Norwegian study has shown that sleep that is more than eight hours or less than four hours increases the risk of heart failure. Conducted at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the study included 50,000 subjects aged 20-89 whose sleep patterns were monitored for 11 years. According to the results, people who slept more than eight hours or less than four hours had a 35 percent greater risk of dying from heart failure than people who sleep between six and eight hours. People who slept less than four hours were reported to have a 34 percent higher propensity for dying from heart failure.

It is important to make sure we have enough amount of sleep for both our physical and spiritual health; not more, not less. Having a siesta for 1-1.5 hours during the day can also prove useful. Oversleeping numbs the human mind, may bring gloom to the heart, and may cause us to lose our ability to make good judgments. Going to bed immediately after eating and drinking may also be a cause for various illnesses, including obesity.

References

1. Munshi, Neil. “Sleeping on the job can improve your work.” Financial Times, September 13, 2017.
2. Laugsand LE, Strand LB, Platou C, Vatten LJ, Janszky I, “Insomnia and the risk of incident heart failure: a population study”, Eur Heart J. 2014 Jun 1;35(21):1382-93. Epub 2013 Mar 5.

Sleep, baby, sleep
Your father tends the sheep
Your mother shakes the dreamland tree
And from it fall sweet dreams for thee
Sleep, baby, sleep
Sleep, baby, sleep.^[1]

Babies are such cute bundles of joy. They are simply adorable and very innocent. The birth of a baby is a miraculous event, and all babies deserve to be loved, no matter where they are born.

Lullabies are love songs written for them. Parents sing lullabies to their precious loved ones to send them sweetly into their dreams. In almost every culture, lullabies are inspirations and prayers for precious little children. Such songs hand down the hopes and dreams of parents, from generation to generation.

“Hush-a-bye” is a lullaby with a story behind it. It was collected by Alan Lomax, who learned it from his mother, who took it from North Carolina to Texas after the Civil War^[2]. It was originally sung by an African American slave. The “lambie” symbolizes the slave-mother’s child, for whom she is unable to care because she is too busy taking care of her owner’s child, to whom the song is being sung. The lullaby’s sourness is cleverly hidden in the comparison between the two children: one is a protected white child growing up privileged and the other is a black baby, left defenseless in nature^[3].

Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
When you wake, you’ll have cake,
And all the pretty little horses.

Black and bay, dapple and grey,
Coach and six little horses,
Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby,
When you wake, you’ll have cake,
And all the pretty little horses.

Way down yonder, down in the meadow,
There’s a poor wee little lamby.
The bees and the butterflies pickin’ at its eyes,
The poor wee thing cried for her mammy.

Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
When you wake, you’ll have cake,
And all the pretty little horses.

Other than being musical stories, lullabies are also beautiful gifts from a parent’s heart to a baby’s ear. Every parent around the world sings a delightful lullaby in her native tongue to relax their child. Lullabies are great examples of how we show love in similar ways all around the world. There is no difference between us and the people on the other end of the world when it comes to our affection for our babies. We all love our babies and open our hearts to them with these songs. There are different lyrics or different rhythms, but they express the same love, support, and concern for the little human beings.

For example, in an Armenian lullaby, a mother says:

The south wind rocks you back and forth
Let the stars converse with you
And the sun and moon calm you
The wild deer will offer its milk
Sleep, sleep.^[5]

And an Azerbaijani lullaby goes as follows:

Every passing bird, every river
Says lay-lay to you my baby
In our most joyful and beautiful motherland
You are my pride and joy
You are my soul that is within my own soul
Your breath is so clean and innocent
Like the light wind in the field.^[6]

Although there is a long history of conflict between the two south Caucasus countries, there is no difference in a parent’s compassion and warm wishes for their children. They both pick nature up as their babies’ playmates and want them to grow up within that nature. Both of the lullabies can comfort a baby with a familiar voice.

Below are two lullabies from Israel and an Arabic country, Morocco. Would you be able to tell which one is from which country?

The first one is:

Sleep, my little girl, sleep
Sleep, my darling one, sleep
Daddy has gone off to work.
To work, to work he’s gone.
He’ll be back when the moon rises
With a gift for his little one.^[7]

And the other one is:

Sleep my baby
Until the meal’s ready.
And if it isn’t,
The neighbor’s will be.

Sleep my baby
Until your mommy’s arrived
The bread is on the table
The sweets are on the tray.^[8]

The former is from Israel and the latter from Morocco, but universal love is embedded into the message of both lullabies. They both touch our hearts. They are both very special in every way. No stereotypes, no wars, no hatred is passed on to babies; only love, and peace, are fostered in lullabies. Thus, lullabies provide an excellent tool to teach children to love all creatures. They allow the sharing of emotions that are filtered and softened by mothers’ heart. When people comfort their babies or make them feel more secure by singing them a lullaby, they also teach them the biggest life lessons. Lullabies smoothly whisper the essentials of life, the common needs of all human beings to babies’ ears.

Talking about the essentials of life, the adversities in life are a fact that the children must also be prepared for. But even when talking about the negative aspects of life, lullabies introduce them gently. An intelligent lullaby from Turkey passes along good wishes to a child, but also teaches a valuable lesson.

Dandini dandini dastana
Into the garden the calves did stray.
Gardener quickly chases them away.
Don’t let them eat the cabbages,
Huuu huuu huuu

Dandini dandini danadan
A moon is born from a mother’s womb,
God has not withheld anything from him
May God protect him from the Evil Eye
Huuu huuu huu hu

Dandini dandini danayli
May our pots be coated with tin
May my daughter be a bride in a mansion
And my son dwell in a palace
Huuu huuu huu hu.^[4]

In this lullaby, a mother’s desire for her son not to get married to a girl she does not approve is hidden beneath the lyrics in an amazingly clever way. The calf symbolizes the son and the garden represents life, while the gardener is the father, and cabbage is the girl that is not approved of by the boy’s mother. So the mother wants the father to keep that girl away.

There are lullabies like the one above that are very personal and private, in which the narrator expresses how she really feels and thinks about certain issues while telling her stories. Such songs can help a parent express their own emotions more clearly, too, especially when they are unable to share them with others. Thus, lullabies soothe and help not only the babies but also the adults.

Lullabies are helpful to put babies to sleep and are useful for adults to enjoy the time that is spent with their children. A lullaby’s magic comes to life in a parent’s voice. These gentle melodies allow parents, who are a child’s first teachers, to impart valuable lessons in a soothing way. A personal message or story is planted elegantly into the lyrics. A loving parent embraces their precious baby with a beautiful lullaby. Plenty of joy, peace and love fill up the room at night when a loving voice smoothly sings:

Goodnight moon, goodnight stars and goodnight my little angel,
Close your eyes and open them to sweet dreams my sweetheart…

References

¹ http://www.romantic-lyrics.com/lullabylyrics/sleepbabysleep.shtml

² http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/prettyhorses.htm

³ http://www.robertbohm.com/publications/3.html

⁴ http://lullabiesofeurope.wetpaint.com/page/Lullabies+(Turkish)

⁵ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lullabies_of_Armenia

⁶ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lullaby

⁷ http://www.hebrewsongs.com/song-numinumi.htm

⁸ http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=1249&c=168

Skin is composed of two main interwoven layers of dermis, on the inside, and epidermis, on the outside. The epidermis, which is composed of five sub units, possesses the most important sign of our identity. Each thin layer is arranged in a way to carry out different tasks. A significant amount of elasticity and flexibility is provided to skin via these five layers. These layers can glide on each other slightly and can also be compressed under pressure. They are compressed when we sit on a hard surface. This situation can be similar to the compression of the spring in a click pen, or the suspension of a vehicle under a load. They regain their previous state upon termination of the pressure, like standing up. This elasticity is crucial for skin’s integrity.

The thin construct of our skin contains sweat glands that are embedded in the fibrous connective tissue. There are sensory receptors, hair roots, and hair muscles connected to them, and also loose nerve endings, and a network of capillary vessels. Free nerve endings are created to specialize in various functions so as to sense hot, cold, pressure, and pain. Likewise, the continuation of blood flow relies on very intricate calculations that are hard to explain. When blood vessels arrive at the skin, they are dispersed like a net in the form of capillaries.

The blood pressure of the arteries located at lower section of the skin is higher than the pressure of pulmonary veins. If pressure is applied to skin for a long duration from outside, the pressure in the pulmonary veins builds up and regional blood flow is disrupted. Therefore oxygen, glucose, and other nutritional substances cannot be delivered to these areas; along with inhibition of waste product removal, it leads to a nutritional abnormality in the tissue.

Sensory cells within our skin detect and report nutritional abnormalities of tissue to our brain via various chemical substances (like acetylcholine, bradykinin, and histamine). Thus we change our position consciously or subconsciously with the intervention of our brain to avoid the danger of a nutritional abnormality, and therefore the area regains normal circulation. In this stage, the process is still reversible; however, should the pressure continue, skin cells will start to die from, from the outside in. These systems do work well in healthy persons but in cases of stroke or coma, the intervention system does not work.

This critical picture can be understood better with an example. Just like roads need to be used in order to carry goods and remove trash, the transportation of minerals, vitamins, and many other life saving substances to the distant parts of the body and removal of waste products requires blood vessels to remain open. This must continue in a perfect balance without any interruption throughout our lives.

If a pressure ulcer occurs, it is like being exposed to external dangers in a house if a door or window breaks. It is like a free entrance visa is granted to germs that were blocked. Our back and pointy areas, like, thighs knees, heels, and shoulders are under more pressure, and therefore at more risk when we lie down. Two to six hours of pressure to one of these areas is enough time to disrupt skin integrity. Our daily sleep requirement is around 6-8 hours, therefore we need to switch positions a couple of times during our sleep. Therefore we face this risk everyday in our sleep; however, thanks to the perfectly functioning protective systems, without noticing during our sleep, our position is changed and this dangerous situation is avoided. Intensive care doctors and staff know better what a great blessing that is are since intensive care patients are mostly unable to move. Despite the use of many preventive efforts, like turning the patients in certain periods or the use of air beds, pressure ulcers still occur and a significant portion of patients die of the microbial infections caused by these wounds.

The story of sleepers

“The Seven Sleepers” story in the Christian tradition is retold in the Qur’an as “the People of the Cave.” The story is about a group of young believers who took refuge in a cave fleeing the oppression of the pagan Roman emperor. Both traditions narrate that they fell asleep in the cave, where they stayed asleep for hundreds of years. The Qur’anic account, however, mentions that they were made to change position during their centuries-long sleep: “You would have thought them awake though they were asleep. We caused them to turn over to the right and the left…” (18:18). It is an interesting nuance that they were made to change position, for it sounds rather irrelevant to the rest of the story. However, with the medical conditions of our skin that were explained above, this nuance makes perfect sense as advice to us on how we should treat patients who are unable to move.