You’re finally on vacation, ready to catch up on well-deserved rest and recovery, when you put your head to the pillow, expecting to drift off to a sleepy bliss, and instead, you’re greeted with a restless night’s sleep. You aren’t alone. For over fifty years, scientists have known about the first night effect. We are initially more restless in new environments. In 2016, Masako Tamaki and colleagues gave us the reason why: half of our brain is acting as a night’s watch. When in a new environment, it’s on high alert, looking out for danger. When we’re at home sleeping, no night watchman is
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