Latest news with #VirginiaTech
Washington Post
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Tariffs hit U.S. companies hard, but businesses absorb them for now
The Trump administration's tariffs are hitting companies that do business in the United States. But prices haven't reflected them yet in many cases. In earnings reports, multiple companies on Monday and Tuesday blamed tariffs for hurting their bottom lines, including automakers General Motors and Stellantis. General Motors said on Tuesday it is facing a $1.1 billion hit from tariffs. The automaker reiterated projections that the full year tariff impact could reach $4 billion to $5 billion. GM's net income fell to $1.9 billion in the second quarter, down more than 34 percent year-over-year. At the same time, U.S. year-over-year sales rose 7.3 percent for the second quarter of the year. GM released its second-quarter results the day after Stellantis, whose brands include Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep, said it faced about $350 million in tariff costs in the first half of the year. 'Currently automakers are essentially subsidizing car buyers for now, and these tariff costs are eating into their profitability,' said David Bieri, a public policy professor at Virginia Tech. 'And that's definitely not sustainable.' GM hasn't raised prices on their vehicles because of tariffs, a company spokesperson said. 'The months ahead are shaping up to be 'the big squeeze,' as the real headline this summer will be the growing disconnect between rising costs for automakers and dealers and relatively flat consumer prices,' Erin Keating, an executive analyst at Cox Automotive, said in a July report. More people have been coming to Maryland car dealer Robert Fogarty's two locations to buy cars out of fear of tariff-driven price increases, he said. He noticed a marked surge in people coming into his dealerships in April to lock in prices. 'We are taking it day by day,' said Fogarty, whose dealerships are in Silver Spring. 'Having clarity would be helpful to manage inventory and customers.' Automakers might increase prices moving forward, according to a report from the intelligence firm AlixPartners. It noted that automakers are expected to pass on 80 percent of the cost of Trump's tariffs to consumers. 'You can grow sales or protect profits on the tariffs but you can't do it indefinitely,' Bieri said. 'In the short run, profits will soften. In the long run, consumers will pay higher prices,' he added, and said that he considered GM the 'canary in the coal mine.' GM depends on foreign production of vehicles more than many of its competitors. It imported more vehicles to the U.S. than Toyota, Hyundai, Stellantis, Honda and Ford in 2024, according to the intelligence firm GlobalData. Almost half of vehicles GM sold in the U.S. were imported last year, the firm found. The automaker said Tuesday it is trying to offset 'at least 30 percent' of the annual tariff impact, pointing to its recently announced $4 billion investment into U.S. assembly plants as one way to do so. But they will take 18 months to come online, CEO Mary Barra said in a Tuesday letter to shareholders. Trump this year announced a 25 percent tariff on auto parts and said that he 'couldn't care less' if vehicle prices rise as a result. There have been updates on the auto and auto parts tariff policy since, including a move from the White House to ensure they don't 'stack' on steel and aluminum duties. Beyond the U.S. auto industry, other companies that cited tariffs for reducing profits include oil services provider Halliburton, which said Tuesday that tariffs lowered profits by $27 million in the second quarter. A Swiss maker of fasteners with sales in North America, Europe and Asia, Bossard Group, linked tariffs and market uncertainty to 'a negative impact on demand,' Chief Financial Officer Stephan Zehnder said Tuesday. But unlike some U.S. companies, Bossard is charging more for its products. 'We have the clear guideline to pass through the price increases to customers. So that means price increases to customers of 10 percent to 30 percent,' CEO Daniel Bossard said Tuesday during a call with analysts. 'You can imagine that's not a walk in the park.' General Electric said this month that, assuming reciprocal tariffs are implemented after the current pause, it expects the net impact of tariffs to be around $500 million for 2025. The industrial giant said it would try to offset that through 'cost controls and pricing actions.' Economists and industry observers said it's too soon for tariffs to show up in consumer prices. Some companies stocked up on inventory earlier this year, anticipating the effect of tariffs. Other products were in transit when the levies were imposed and are just now landing on store shelves, economists said. And many companies might be eating cost increases to avoid turning off consumers already fatigued by inflation and pandemic-related increases, said Tara Sinclair, economics professor at George Washington University. Uncertainty about the permanence of any tariffs — including the on-again, off-again nature of the import levies so far — and fear of drawing Trump's ire may be deterring companies from raising prices, some economists said. 'He's talking directly to the companies. He's telling them what to do,' said Justin Wolfers, an economics and public policy professor at the University of Michigan. It's unlikely automakers would raise prices 25 percent to match the levy on foreign-made vehicles because it would be too expensive for consumers, industry observers said. The average manufacturer-suggested retail price for autos was $50,000 in June, according to data from car-price and inventory tracker Edmunds. 'If we saw an essentially $10,000 bump in MSRPs, that would translate into the death of sales,' said Ivan Drury, Edmunds' director of insights. Automakers will probably use the rollout of 2026 models to add new tariff costs, cushioning the blow of higher prices by tying it to more features, Drury said. But cars are a durable good — typically among a household's top expenses — that families can postpone buying, said Francesco Bianchi, economics professor at Johns Hopkins University. That might make automakers more willing to take a hit on their profits in the short-term, he said: 'They know that there's a limit to how much prices can adjust.'
India.com
2 days ago
- Science
- India.com
IND vs ENG 2025 4th Test: Shubman Gill's team aim to create history at Old Trafford, end 89 year old curse...
Fozzie and Scott Hurst of Salem, Virginia, search a park bench for evidence of the invasive spotted lanternfly – credit Clark DeHart for Virginia Tech. A real-world trial at Virginia Tech has shown that ordinary dogs and their owners can help combat a major invasive insect species from taking hold in their communities. The spotted lanternfly, native to Asia, was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014. Since then, it's spread rapidly to 18 states, laying its eggs on trees, stone, lumber, and even cars and trailers, where it can hitch a ride to a new home. Catching the bug early is key—but finding its egg masses is no easy task. That's where your dog comes in. With a sense of smell that's tens of thousands of times more acute than a human's, dogs can be trained to sniff out spotted lanternfly egg masses without disturbing the environment. 'They often resemble mud smears or lichens and are tucked into bark crevices, cracks, or hidden undersides,' said Mizuho Nita, a plant pathologist at Virginia Tech who co-authored the results of the field study. 'Finding them is like searching for a needle in a haystack.' Previous research has shown that professional conservation detection dogs can find them quite often. But professional dogs are expensive, and there aren't nearly enough of them to cover the growing threat. That's where Sally Dickinson, the lead author on the study who recently obtained her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, thought that they might be able to enlist the help of citizen scientists. (Left) A spotted lanternfly egg mass hides in plain sight – credit, courtesy of Sally Dickinson (Right) A mature spotted lanternfly – credit, Theresa Dellinger for Virginia Tech 'With proper training, dog owners can turn their pets into powerful partners for conservation,' Dickinson said. Many dog owners participate in sporting scent games—teaching their dogs to track different scents and having sort of scavenger hunts to enrich their companions' lives. Even if the breed isn't bred specifically for following scent trails, most dogs can do it. 182 human-dog teams from across the US were selected and given devitalized, that is, non-hatching lanternfly egg masses, as training aids. Participants trained their dogs at home or in small groups, with oversight from a designated local trainer. After several months of training, the dogs were put to the test in two environments—one indoor and one outdoor. In the controlled indoor environment, dogs had to complete an odor recognition test, identifying the box with the spotted lanternfly egg mass from among multiple boxes with other items and scents. GREAT STUDIES FROM VA TECH: Plastic Waste Can Now be Turned into Soap Thanks to Eureka Moment from Virginia Tech Those that passed the odor recognition test advanced to a field test, where they had to find the scent in an outdoor environment with competing smells. The participant dogs correctly identified the egg masses 82% of the time in the controlled test and 61% in the real-world test. This was still better than rates of success for human-only searches. Of the dogs that passed both tests, 92% were successful in finding live egg masses with minimal extra training. MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: High School Student Invents an A.I. Powered Trap That Zaps Invasive Lanternflies 'These teams demonstrated that citizen scientists and their dogs can play a meaningful role in protecting agriculture and the environment from invasive species,' said Sally Dickinson, the study's lead author. In vineyards, orchard—arable acreage of all sorts—the lanternfly is devastating crops and yields. Any resistance is better than no resistance, and if that means keeping your dog alert and ready to sniff out the invader on a walk through the park or forest, it could make the difference between your local farmer making a profit or making a loss this harvest season. SHARE This Brilliant Citizen Science Initiative To Help Defend Our Farms…
Axios
2 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Alligator Alcatraz leans on myth steeped in racism
Key to the marketing ploy underpinning Florida's detention camp in the Everglades is the alligator, portrayed by Republican leaders as a blood-thirsty prison guard ready to attack anyone who escapes. Why it matters: Nothing about the portrayal is accurate, experts in alligator biology and history tell Axios. What's more, the idea of the alligator lusting for human flesh is rooted in racism, dating back to Jim Crow, when tourists could buy postcards illustrating Black children as "gator bait." "This idea that being around alligators is inherently dangerous is very problematic and misunderstood," said Mark V. Barrow Jr., a Virginia Tech history professor working on a book about the cultural history of American alligators. The big picture: Florida's reptilian mascot isn't just in the nickname-turned-official name of the detention center. It's central to the premise. "When people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons," state Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a June 19 video introducing Alligator Alcatraz. "Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide." AI-generated memes depicting alligators in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats, as well as merchandise, followed soon after. During his visit to the facility this month, President Trump joked that the critters serve as "bodyguards" and "cops." Reality check: "They're not on our side. It's silly to think that," Mark Teshera, a wildlife biologist who studies alligator behavior, told Axios. Flashback: The idea of alligators as ferocious, human-eating beasts dates back to accounts from William Bartram, a naturalist from Philadelphia who in the late 18th century traveled to the Southeast, Barrow told Axios. Bartram's widely read book chronicling the experience included over-the-top descriptions of the reptile and stories of seemingly unprovoked attacks. The myth has persisted for centuries — including after Emancipation, when the false, racist belief that alligators liked the taste of Black flesh proliferated in the South. It was "part of this broad campaign to dehumanize, oppress, suppress newly freed African Americans," Barrow said. That history is why the University of Florida ceased its "gator bait" cheer and band performance in 2020. The other side: Gov. Ron DeSantis' office did not respond to Axios' requests for comment. Between the lines: Alligators don't consider humans prey and often react to them with fear, said Teshera, who authored a study that found that risky human behaviors caused most alligator attacks. Those behaviors include swimming in waterways known to be inhabited by alligators, walking dogs near their habitats, and feeding them. That also explains why, in Florida's scenic rivers and swamps, humans can observe alligators with little risk. Just be sure to practice situational awareness and give them space, Teshera said. What they're saying:"Alligators get such a bad rep, but when you break it down … they're usually reacting to a situation," he said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Can't sleep? It's not totally your fault
For much of history, humans probably got pretty lousy sleep. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, many people slept in the same bed alongside their family in dwellings lacking any temperature control beyond a fire or air ventilation. Those homes were littered with bed bugs, fleas, and lice that not only feasted on their hosts at night but also spread diseases, which — in the absence of modern medicine — kept the infirm awake and suffering. The noises of cities and rural life alike also made sleep difficult, thanks to the all-hours bustling of laborers, horse-drawn carriages, and livestock with whom farmers might've shared a home. 'Because in the winter they generated warmth,' says A. Roger Ekirch, a history professor at Virginia Tech and author of At Day's Close: Night in Times Past. Nighttime itself was a risk. Slumber left people vulnerable to crime or death from fire or other natural disasters. Some prayers throughout history sought God's protection from the litany of threats adherents encountered in the dark, says Ekirch. For those who are lucky enough to have access, modern marvels like central heating and air conditioning, comfortable beds, and even Tylenol have all but eliminated many of these barriers to sleep. 'We don't have to worry about the myriad perils to sound slumber and our physical well-being that people did 300, 400 years ago,' Ekirch says. 'We don't have to worry about the myriad perils to sound slumber and our physical well-being that people did 300, 400 years ago.' Still, sleep doesn't come easily to millions of Americans. Over 14 percent of adults had trouble falling asleep most days in 2020, according to the National Health Interview Survey. Nearly just as many people — 12 percent — have been diagnosed with chronic insomnia, according to an American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey. Among the 33 percent of US adults who get less than seven hours of sleep a night, native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and Black adults are the most likely to get shorter durations of shut-eye. Those with an annual household income of less than $15,000 are also likely to be sleep-deprived. Despite seemingly prime conditions for sleep, why do so many suffer from restless nights? The most comfortable bed in the darkest room might not be enough to overcome a mix of environmental, systemic, and behavioral forces preventing quality slumber. Modern lifestyles aren't ideal for sleep American sleep culture is marked by contradictions. Anyone who's endured a night of terrible sleep can attest to its importance in cognitive functioning, mood, hunger, and overall health. Yet, many people act in ways that sabotage their hope for a good night's sleep. We stay up later than we should to catch up on work or news or precious free time — what is sometimes called revenge bedtime procrastination. We consume content on our phones so upsetting or attention-grabbing as to prevent our falling asleep, although many of us know by now that screen use an hour before bed results in delayed bedtime and less sleep overall. We settle into bed and realize that late-afternoon coffee or nightcap too close to bedtime has come to collect its vengeance. Some people innately need more sleep than others, and these so-called long sleepers simply cannot find the time in their busy schedules to devote to 10 hours of slumber. Try as we might to have it all, optimizing our waking hours might come at the detriment of our sleep. 'We're trying to have our cake and eat it, too,' Ekirch says. 'The less time we accord to sleep, the more perfect we want it to be for when we do nod off.' Ironically, a population of people with no notable sleep issues has turned sleep into a competitive sport, leveraging mouth tape, expensive mattresses, and sleep trackers like the Oura Ring in pursuit of the perfect night's sleep. This fixation on enhancing sleep may actually do more to promote insomnia than peaceful slumber, experts say. Most disruptions to sleep cannot be blamed on personal choices, though. Parents and other caregivers are among the most sleep-deprived, often contending with their children's inconsistent sleep schedules. And the sleep patterns of shift workers — which account for 20 percent of the US workforce — are dictated by their employers. The ill effects of poor sleep can negatively impact mental health. The opposite is true, too: Mental distress has consequences for sleep. 'Stress, anxiety, weird work schedules,' says Jessi Pettigrew, a clinical social worker who focuses on sleep disorders, 'can lead to the development of sleep disorders like insomnia or circadian rhythm disorders, which basically means being misaligned with your biological sleep schedule because of social reasons.' Environmental and systemic barriers can disrupt sleep Outside of individual behavior, where we live has a role in sleep. Not having the ability to control the temperature in your bedroom because you lack effective heating or air conditioning can be a barrier to sleep, Pettigrew says. If you feel unsafe in your environment, you're less likely to get restful slumber, too, she adds. This tends to impact people with housing insecurity, refugees, and those who are incarcerated. Beyond the bedroom, noise and light pollution from bright street lights and traffic have been shown to interrupt sleep and contribute to insomnia — and those in low-income neighborhoods are more susceptible to these conditions. 'People who live in places with good natural light, green spaces, the ability to control the temperature and light and noise in their environment,' Pettigrew says, 'helps them to sleep better and better regulate their circadian rhythm during the day and sleep at night.' All of our waking experiences impact our ability to sleep, says Anita Shelgikar, a neurology professor at the University of Michigan Medical School and the president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine board of directors. And some of those waking experiences may be colored by racism and discrimination. Stress associated with racial discrimination has been linked to poor sleep. Among shift workers, people of color are more likely to work alternating day/night schedules, resulting in disrupted circadian rhythms. 'If that disrupts your sleep enough, that technically qualifies as shift-work sleep disorder,' says Jade Wu, a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications. This disorder is marked by excessive sleepiness, insomnia, or both. The knock-on effects of altered sleep-wake schedules are profound, ranging from cardiovascular disease and obesity to mood and immune disorders. 'Sleep health disparities disproportionately affect the same populations who suffer from overall health disparities,' Shelgikar says. Those in rural or low-income areas who generally lack access to healthcare, let alone specialized sleep medicine, may continue to suffer from poor sleep, in addition to any number of physical and mental health conditions. Without individualized care, Shelgikar says, the disparities may only widen. How to overcome these sleep obstacles If you work odd hours or have a fussy baby, hearing the common advice of keeping your room cool and dark and only retreating to bed when you're sleepy can seem trite. Wu suggests identifying the environmental or circumstantial reason you aren't getting restful sleep and doing whatever you can to mitigate it. For those who live in spaces that aren't conducive to sleep — hot bedrooms or the constant wail of sirens all night — there are few things people can do beyond getting a fan or earplugs, Wu says. People with means and flexibility can seek out a doctor specializing in sleep medicine to diagnose potential disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea. If you work odd hours or have a fussy baby, hearing the common advice of keeping your room cool and dark and only retreating to bed when you're sleepy can seem trite. But if your conditions for sleep are pretty good and you still struggle to get shut-eye, the key, according to Wu, may be to not obsess over it as much. 'What you see in people with insomnia is that they're trying too hard,' she says. 'They're tracking their sleep too closely. They are perfectionistic about their sleep hygiene and doing things like going to bed too early or trying to take too many naps, trying to achieve a certain number of hours of sleep, or a certain score on their sleep tracker.' The human body was meant to sleep. And despite all the constructs and complications society throws our way, we still require sleep. Ironically, though, the more we fret over it, the more elusive it can become. As difficult as it seems, the best advice may be to surrender to the circadian rhythm. 'One thing that can help with sleep,' Pettigrew says, 'is just saying, I'm going to trust my body to take care of this.'
Vox
3 days ago
- Health
- Vox
Can't sleep? It's not totally your fault.
For much of history, humans probably got pretty lousy sleep. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, many people slept in the same bed alongside their family in dwellings lacking any temperature control beyond a fire or air ventilation. Those homes were littered with bed bugs, fleas, and lice that not only feasted on their hosts at night but also spread diseases, which — in the absence of modern medicine — kept the infirm awake and suffering. The noises of cities and rural life alike also made sleep difficult, thanks to the all-hours bustling of laborers, horse-drawn carriages, and livestock with whom farmers might've shared a home. 'Because in the winter they generated warmth,' says A. Roger Ekirch, a history professor at Virginia Tech and author of At Day's Close: Night in Times Past. Nighttime itself was a risk. Slumber left people vulnerable to crime or death from fire or other natural disasters. Some prayers throughout history sought God's protection from the litany of threats adherents encountered in the dark, says Ekirch. For those who are lucky enough to have access, modern marvels like central heating and air conditioning, comfortable beds, and even Tylenol have all but eliminated many of these barriers to sleep. 'We don't have to worry about the myriad perils to sound slumber and our physical well-being that people did 300, 400 years ago,' Ekirch says. 'We don't have to worry about the myriad perils to sound slumber and our physical well-being that people did 300, 400 years ago.' Still, sleep doesn't come easily to millions of Americans. Over 14 percent of adults had trouble falling asleep most days in 2020, according to the National Health Interview Survey. Nearly just as many people — 12 percent — have been diagnosed with chronic insomnia, according to an American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey. Among the 33 percent of US adults who get less than seven hours of sleep a night, native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and Black adults are the most likely to get shorter durations of shut-eye. Those with an annual household income of less than $15,000 are also likely to be sleep-deprived. Despite seemingly prime conditions for sleep, why do so many suffer from restless nights? The most comfortable bed in the darkest room might not be enough to overcome a mix of environmental, systemic, and behavioral forces preventing quality slumber. Modern lifestyles aren't ideal for sleep American sleep culture is marked by contradictions. Anyone who's endured a night of terrible sleep can attest to its importance in cognitive functioning, mood, hunger, and overall health. Yet, many people act in ways that sabotage their hope for a good night's sleep. We stay up later than we should to catch up on work or news or precious free time — what is sometimes called revenge bedtime procrastination. We consume content on our phones so upsetting or attention-grabbing as to prevent our falling asleep, although many of us know by now that screen use an hour before bed results in delayed bedtime and less sleep overall. We settle into bed and realize that late-afternoon coffee or nightcap too close to bedtime has come to collect its vengeance. Some people innately need more sleep than others, and these so-called long sleepers simply cannot find the time in their busy schedules to devote to 10 hours of slumber. Try as we might to have it all, optimizing our waking hours might come at the detriment of our sleep. 'We're trying to have our cake and eat it, too,' Ekirch says. 'The less time we accord to sleep, the more perfect we want it to be for when we do nod off.' Ironically, a population of people with no notable sleep issues has turned sleep into a competitive sport, leveraging mouth tape, expensive mattresses, and sleep trackers like the Oura Ring in pursuit of the perfect night's sleep. This fixation on enhancing sleep may actually do more to promote insomnia than peaceful slumber, experts say. Most disruptions to sleep cannot be blamed on personal choices, though. Parents and other caregivers are among the most sleep-deprived, often contending with their children's inconsistent sleep schedules. And the sleep patterns of shift workers — which account for 20 percent of the US workforce — are dictated by their employers. The ill effects of poor sleep can negatively impact mental health. The opposite is true, too: Mental distress has consequences for sleep. 'Stress, anxiety, weird work schedules,' says Jessi Pettigrew, a clinical social worker who focuses on sleep disorders, 'can lead to the development of sleep disorders like insomnia or circadian rhythm disorders, which basically means being misaligned with your biological sleep schedule because of social reasons.' Environmental and systemic barriers can disrupt sleep Outside of individual behavior, where we live has a role in sleep. Not having the ability to control the temperature in your bedroom because you lack effective heating or air conditioning can be a barrier to sleep, Pettigrew says. If you feel unsafe in your environment, you're less likely to get restful slumber, too, she adds. This tends to impact people with housing insecurity, refugees, and those who are incarcerated. Beyond the bedroom, noise and light pollution from bright street lights and traffic have been shown to interrupt sleep and contribute to insomnia — and those in low-income neighborhoods are more susceptible to these conditions. 'People who live in places with good natural light, green spaces, the ability to control the temperature and light and noise in their environment,' Pettigrew says, 'helps them to sleep better and better regulate their circadian rhythm during the day and sleep at night.' All of our waking experiences impact our ability to sleep, says Anita Shelgikar, a neurology professor at the University of Michigan Medical School and the president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine board of directors. And some of those waking experiences may be colored by racism and discrimination. Stress associated with racial discrimination has been linked to poor sleep. Among shift workers, people of color are more likely to work alternating day/night schedules, resulting in disrupted circadian rhythms. 'If that disrupts your sleep enough, that technically qualifies as shift-work sleep disorder,' says Jade Wu, a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications. This disorder is marked by excessive sleepiness, insomnia, or both. The knock-on effects of altered sleep-wake schedules are profound, ranging from cardiovascular disease and obesity to mood and immune disorders. 'Sleep health disparities disproportionately affect the same populations who suffer from overall health disparities,' Shelgikar says. Those in rural or low-income areas who generally lack access to healthcare, let alone specialized sleep medicine, may continue to suffer from poor sleep, in addition to any number of physical and mental health conditions. Without individualized care, Shelgikar says, the disparities may only widen. How to overcome these sleep obstacles If you work odd hours or have a fussy baby, hearing the common advice of keeping your room cool and dark and only retreating to bed when you're sleepy can seem trite. Wu suggests identifying the environmental or circumstantial reason you aren't getting restful sleep and doing whatever you can to mitigate it. For those who live in spaces that aren't conducive to sleep — hot bedrooms or the constant wail of sirens all night — there are few things people can do beyond getting a fan or earplugs, Wu says. People with means and flexibility can seek out a doctor specializing in sleep medicine to diagnose potential disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea. If you work odd hours or have a fussy baby, hearing the common advice of keeping your room cool and dark and only retreating to bed when you're sleepy can seem trite. But if your conditions for sleep are pretty good and you still struggle to get shut-eye, the key, according to Wu, may be to not obsess over it as much. 'What you see in people with insomnia is that they're trying too hard,' she says. 'They're tracking their sleep too closely. They are perfectionistic about their sleep hygiene and doing things like going to bed too early or trying to take too many naps, trying to achieve a certain number of hours of sleep, or a certain score on their sleep tracker.' The human body was meant to sleep. And despite all the constructs and complications society throws our way, we still require sleep. Ironically, though, the more we fret over it, the more elusive it can become. As difficult as it seems, the best advice may be to surrender to the circadian rhythm. 'One thing that can help with sleep,' Pettigrew says, 'is just saying, I'm going to trust my body to take care of this.'
