The Real Problem with America’s Sleep Problem

“The saddest day of my life was when I left preschool and naps were no longer allowed.” That’s what my son said when I told him what I’d learned in researching this article about sleep. At 17, he struggles to fall asleep most nights and despises rising at 7 a.m. for school. I struggle to stay up past 10 p.m. on any given night, and sleeping the whole night through, or past dawn, are things I only dream of. What I learned is this: We may both be normal, and the state of advice on sleep is totally whacked.