Sleep Patterns and Health: How Important Are Sleep Duration and Sleep Variability?

We live in a modern 24-hour society that never truly sleeps, and around 10 % of the adult population suffers from chronic sleep difficulties defined as insomnia (Pallesen et al., 2001). There is thus a pressing need for knowledge about what characterizes health-promoting sleep patterns. This article is a popular science summary of the doctoral dissertation: ”Sleep patterns and health. Investigating the significance of sleep duration and sleep variability” (2024), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim.