If you’re like most people, you’ve probably drifted off to sleep as soon as you put on a movie or show at night.

It’s a common occurrence – you sit down with your partner to finally watch the season finale of the show everyone is talking about, only to fall asleep, jolt awake, pretend you didn’t fall asleep and keep on watching until you fall asleep again.

Sleep experts told HuffPost there are many reasons this happens, and some are more concerning than others. Here’s what to know:

“There’s a couple of environmental factors to the fact of watching TV, watching a movie that promotes sleepiness,” said Dr. Neal Walia, a sleep specialist at UCLA Health in California. “When you wake up in the morning, you develop something called a sleep drive, which is how much your body wants to sleep.”

As you go about your day, your sleep drive goes up before peaking at bedtime, he explained. “And that drive is what gets you into sleep and carries you to sleep,” Walia noted.

“Usually, people are watching movies and TV in the evening after a long workday. This is when their sleep drive is at the highest,” he said. So your body naturally wants to sleep at this time.

“And then sometimes it’s just a lack of stimulation,” said Dr. Molly Atwood, the director of clinical training in the behavioural sleep medicine program at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.

If you find yourself feeling tired throughout the day, you may notice that your fatigue disappears when you interact with something, whether that’s scrolling on your phone or getting up to make dinner.

Why? “Your body has a system of overcoming whatever sleepiness you have with stimuli,” according to Walia. And watching TV and or a movie is, generally, a low-stimuli activity, he noted. TikTok or even a task like folding laundry are more high-stimuli.

“If you’re lying down, it is dark – so your body’s kind of getting that signal that it’s nighttime and if the movie is not very stimulating or boring, it might be a lot easier, too, for any sleepiness that is there to take over,” Atwood added.

“Another big thing is that, especially patients with insomnia, a lot of times what they’ll say to me is ‘I just can’t turn my brain off.’ And most of our day, our attention is preoccupied by something – probably a screen, most likely – but something is taking our attention away,” Walia said.

We don’t often just sit with our thoughts. That is, until we drift off to sleep at the end of the day. And if you’re stressed about work or anxious about money, sitting with your thoughts can make it difficult to fall asleep.

“But if you’re watching something like a show, you’re not really in your own head for the most part,” Walia said. Your attention is drawn to the show or movie you’re watching, not the taxes you still need to do. This encourages your body to drift off to sleep.

Your body’s natural circadian rhythm can play a role in whether you’re prone to falling asleep on the couch or not.

“In some circumstances, if you’re more of a morning person, your body naturally makes you alert early in the morning and it shuts down alertness early at night,” Atwood said.

Folks in this group are just naturally more tired at night. For morning people, their body is giving them signals that it’s time for bed, which makes it more likely that they’ll drift off while watching TV.

Many people turn on their comfort shows after a long day. And according to Atwood, it’s more likely that you’ll fall asleep during a show you’ve seen several times.

“Our nervous systems are super calm and comforted, versus like an action movie or a horror movie,” Atwood said.

You also don’t have to pay much attention to the show to know what’s going on, which allows your body to drift off easily, too.

“A lot of our population is sleep deprived,” said Walia, who explained that most people aren’t getting the seven to nine hours of sleep they need each night.

Everyone has different individual sleep needs. But no matter how much sleep your body requires, most folks aren’t getting it.

Because of busy days, family demands and high-stress jobs, you may not even notice you’re sleepy until you’re interacting with something that’s low-stimuli, like a movie. This is when your sleep deprivation can catch up with you and cause you to fall asleep.

Even people who sleep the recommended seven to nine hours a night may not be getting good quality sleep, which can also result in sleepiness on the couch.

“There’s many people out there with untreated or under-treated sleep disorders that disrupt the quality of sleep,” Walia said, adding that sleep apnea is one example of this.

It’s understandable if you fall asleep on the couch after a busy day of travel or after a late night out, but if you’re falling asleep in front of the TV frequently, you should take notice.

“If you’re sitting upright, the lights are on, it’s an engaging movie … and you still can’t keep yourself awake, that might be more of like, ‘OK, I should reevaluate how much sleep I’m getting overall,’” Atwood said.

If you think you’re getting enough sleep but still falling asleep during engaging shows and movies, it’s worth talking to a sleep specialist, she added. A professional can help test you for underlying conditions that could disrupt your sleep.

If you can usually stay awake while watching TV or movies at night, it’s “probably a good indication that [you’re] not sleep deprived or they’re not having disruptions in their sleep,” Walia said.

This nighttime energy reflects relatively good sleep health, he added.

Some sleep disorders can keep people from napping or falling asleep during shows and movies, but, overall, if you are getting enough high-quality sleep, you likely have good sleep health, he said.

I published an essay entitled, “I’m A Surgeon. I’m Also Child-Free — And 6 Words From A Colleague About My Life Left Me Stunned,” on HuffPost Personal in 2024.

The morning it went live, my alarm jolted me from sleep well before sunlight filled the sky. I grabbed my phone, swiped it open to see the headlines, and there, smack dab in the middle of my news feed, I saw my name. The day had hardly begun… and I was already trending.

I had revealed my most private feelings about my reproductive life and detailed how my choice not to have children was repeatedly called out in professional settings. I was confident that whether I had kids or not did not determine my worth as a person. In the 21st century, it should not be controversial to say that some women choose other paths. And, still, that morning, I was nervous about sharing all this in such a public way.

Those nerves only proved my social conditioning. Women without kids are still viewed within the context of rigid stereotypes. I was anxious about how my essay – and I – would be perceived, and I worried it wouldn’t be good.

Then something unexpected happened. I was inundated with messages. Over the next week, my Instagram, the essay’s comment section, and even my work email were flooded with a huge outpouring of gratitude and positivity. Women wrote to thank me for sharing what they felt but couldn’t vocalise, for helping dispel the myth that women without kids are selfish and cold, and for making it clear that women don’t need to apologise for choosing not to have children. More people felt like me than I ever would have guessed.

Most of these messages were from women who, like me, did not want to be mothers. Women who knew that their reproductive freedom was hard fought and well deserved, but still wrestled with strong societal expectations. Some of the messages I received, however, were from women with kids who wished they had been told at some point in their lives that they had other options. I even received notes from men who had witnessed their partners’ or wives’ value reduced to whether or not they were a mother. What united all of these people was a simple wish: for women to be valued beyond their reproductive choices.

I would be lying, though, if I said all the responses I received were positive. A proportion of these notes were filled with anger and resentment. A few of them even veered into harassment. Like the positive messages, these all had a unifying theme.

“You stupid idiot,” wrote one person, “will feminism take care of you when you’re old and dying?” Feminism, responses like these implied, was to blame for my decision to pursue a life as a successful surgeon, to follow the instincts that told me I did not want children of my own and that my life could be complete without motherhood.

To some degree, I expected to receive messages like these from men, but I was surprised to find that many of the negative replies were, in fact, authored by women. They insisted my own take on my own life could not be trusted and that I was lying about feeling fulfilled. I would never be happy, they insisted, and never know true love or joy. My life would always be incomplete, they said, since I had been misled by a wolf in sheep’s clothing into a life without meaning. That wolf was, apparently, feminism.

These sentiments are not new, even if they have been emboldened by the current presidential administration. Feminism has long been a societal scapegoat. The wave of feminism championed by figures like Gloria Steinem encouraged women to free themselves of society’s expectation that all women must have children and stay in the kitchen. However, in recent years, this narrow definition has been heavily critiqued for the way it may appear to overlook and undervalue the labour involved in motherhood. This version of feminism has also estranged women from different backgrounds by centring the experiences and priorities of only white middle class women.

Women who find deep meaning in child rearing and significance in their work at home have felt alienated by mainstream versions of the movement. Some have even fled progressive politics because they found more alignment in conservative platforms, which often embrace domestic life and labour as a woman’s truest calling. There are even those who have argued that feminism has “ruined” motherhood by allowing women to pursue alternative paths in life and by encouraging the declining birth rate. Furthermore, the experiences, voices, and struggles of marginalised, non-white, and queer women have not always been included in the mission of some approaches to / forms of feminism, leaving many searching for alternative frameworks to fight for all women’s rights.

As the derogatory messages I received in my inbox show, the societal skepticism of women without children is not going anywhere, especially now that we have high-powered conservative think tanks pushing regressive gender roles and opposition to feminist movements. They, too, take the stance that feminism has damaged the traditional family structure by allowing women to believe their lives can be fulfilled without motherhood and marriage.

At the same time, conservatives like JD Vance, who is well known for his animosity towards single women without children, are using their large platforms to claim that women who pursue professional careers are causing social unrest.

Instead of addressing the real lack of support mothers face in this country, Trump is also making an explicit play to push motherhood on American women. Since my essay was published, we have seen proposals for a baby-bonus cash payout for new mothers, childbirth medals, and a federally funded tax-advantaged savings account seeded with $1,000 for any child born between 2025 and 2029, all aimed at selling women on partaking in a traditional nuclear-family lifestyle.

As a paediatric surgeon who helps children every day, I do not understand how I could be viewed as an enemy of the state. Unfortunately, I still see this belief play out – even at work.

In fact, a mother recently asked me a series of personal questions to suss out whether I was capable of performing her child’s routine surgery. After inquiring about my qualifications, she asked me directly whether I was a mother. “No,” I told her, and I asked her why she wanted to know. After a bit of rambling, she concluded with an unconvincing apology, noting, “But I think women should be able to do all kinds of jobs… or whatever.”

I don’t mind questions, and I understand parents put a huge amount of trust in their children’s doctors, especially when it comes to surgery. However, this specific encounter was yet another reminder that even a woman’s value in professional settings can be tied back to their reproductive choices.

I knew a question like this didn’t belong in that hospital exam room and had nothing to do with my skill as a surgeon, but it’s no surprise women feel this way. After all, we are all taught to view women without children as less capable and less committed to the care of others.

At the time I wrote my original essay, I had hoped such sentiments about women without children were declining. But in the weeks after it was released, I watched Kamala Harris’ choice to not have children of her own get repeatedly dragged through the mud. The derogatory rhetoric about women without children has, sadly, only accelerated since I awoke to find myself trending on my phone screen.

I, however, have never wavered in my belief in my value as a childfree woman. Because of the women who have come before me, I have been able to live a life full of joy, meaning, and fulfilment – on my own terms. I will continue to use my voice to ensure others can do the same.

Caitlin A. Smith is a surgeon and writer in the Pacific Northwest. Her personal essays on surgical training and experiences have appeared on Doximity. She is currently writing her first book, a firsthand account about the life and experiences of women in medicine. Find her at @miseducationofaknife on Instagram and Substack.

Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com.

We already know that exercise seems to reduce dementia risk (a 2022 paper found that walking 3,800 steps a day may lower your likelihood of developing dementia by 25%, with increasing benefits up to 9,800 steps).

Even when it’s not directly dementia-related, movement appears to improve memory and thinking skills.

A recent paper, published in Brain Communications, has found that 20 minutes of cycling a day can create “ripples” in the brain that might help us to process and store information more efficiently.

The research involved 14 participants aged from 17-50. They tracked their brain activity before and after 20-minute stationary cycling sessions through an intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG).

The iEEG measures electrical activity in the brain, which provides an added layer of detail.

Previously, scientists had noticed “ripples” in the minds of rats, which were believed to improve their memories after exercise, though these had not been seen in humans before.

But the iEEGs in this research saw similar results after the participants completed their exercise.

Speaking to Medical News Today, study author Dr Juan Ramirez-Villegas said, “Ripples are very brief bursts of highly synchronised electrical activity in the brain’s memory centre, the hippocampus.

“In animals, they are known to play a key role in stabilising memories after an experience. You can think of them as moments when the brain rapidly ‘reviews’ information, helping convert recent experiences into lasting memories.”

They might also help to regulate blood sugar in animals, the study added.

The study found that the higher someone’s heart rate got during the cycling session, the stronger those “ripples” seemed to be.

“This suggests that the intensity of physical activity may influence how strongly the brain’s memory circuits respond,” stated Dr Ramirez-Villegas.

Aside from the “ripple” effect, this research also seemed to help different parts of the brain communicate better, potentially leading to improved memory.

“It is surprising how after a session of acute exercise, hippocampal-cortical communication seems to be enhanced, a phenomenon thought to be strongly linked to memory processing,” Dr Ramirez-Villegas said.

“This suggests that even a brief bout of physical activity can influence the neural dynamics involved in learning and memory.”

In an age where everyone’s a critic, it’s increasingly rare for a TV series to come along and hoover up near universal acclaim.

But ever since The Pitt debuted in the US in January 2025, it’s been hailed as a hit that has “revolutionised the medical drama”, scooping up Emmys and Golden Globes in the process.

Perhaps even more surprisingly, it’s also been praised for its accuracy by many doctors in its gritty depiction of the US healthcare system, in a genre that has traditionally favoured outrageousness over credibility (who remembers Grey’s Anatomy’s ghost sex storyline?).

With The Pitt finally arriving in the UK this week, you might be currently working your way through the series (if you’ve not already binged it, that is!) and clocking a few familiar faces along the way.

Here’s where you’ve seen the cast of The Pitt before…

Noah Wyle is no stranger to a medical drama, after his breakthrough moment in the 1990s as Dr John Carter on ER.

He later leant into his role when he popped up in an episode of Friends, to cameo as dishy doctor opposite fellow ER alum George Clooney back in 1996.

As well as his penchant for playing medical professionals, Noah starred as Steve Jobs in Pirates Of Silicon Valley and has also appeared in a range of films including Donnie Darko, A Few Good Men and W.

TV remains his main stomping ground, though, with appearances in series including Falling Skies, The Librarians, The Red Line and Leverage: Redemption.

British actor Tracy Ifeachor is best-known for her work as Aya Al-Rashid in Vampire Diaries spin-off series The Originals.

Whovians will know her from the 2009 Doctor Who Christmas special, in which she appeared as Abigail Naismith, while she has also starred in US series including Crossbones, Quantico, Legends Of Tomorrow, Treadstone.

She was also introduced as a new character, Thema, in the most recent series of Netflix hit series The Diplomat.

On this side of the Atlantic, you might have seen Tracy in BBC shows like Showtrial, Mayflies or Netflix’s British miniseries Treason.

While his role as Dr. Frank Langdon in The Pitt is Patrick Ball’s biggest yet, eagle-eyed viewers might recognise him from an appearance in Law & Order back in 2023.

He’s a far bigger name in the stage world, and is currently in Broadway production Becky Shaw after roles in theatre productions including Hamlet, All My Sons and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.

Katherine has had a long TV career over in the US, starting out with brief appearances in classics like Seinfeld, 3rd Rock From The Sun and ER, before landing regular roles in Miss Match and Judging Amy.

Her most recognisable roles are in series including Two And A Half Men – where she played Charlie Sheen’s on-screen love interest, Lydia – as well as Big Love, Three Sisters, Deception, Imposters, Truth Be Told and Satisfaction.

Over on the big screen you might have spotted Katherine in Valentine’s Day, The Campaign or Alfie.

Landing the role of medical resident Dr Samira Mohan in The Pitt is Supriya’s biggest acting gig so far.

Having said that, you might have caught her in one of her small roles in popular US series Billions, Law & Order: SVU and Grown-ish.

Known for playing complex characters, Shawn is probably best known for playing eldest Cody son Pope in crime series Animal Kingdom.

You might also recognise him from Dexter, Southland, Fear The Walking Dead, Flaked, Chicago P.D. or Numb3rs – and like many other members of The Pitt cast, Shawn also previously cropped up in an episode of ER.

Movie fans could have seen him in In & Out, The Faculty, Outside Providence, Anywhere But Here, The Cooler, Alpha Dog or the recent horror sequel Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come.

Chances are, horror buffs will have seen Fiona before.

She’s most well-known for her role as Nica Pierce in the Child’s Play franchise, starring in the films Curse Of Chucky and Cult Of Chucky, as well as the 2020s TV spin-off.

Fiona has also appeared on our TV screens in Deadwood, Shameless, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, The Blacklist, The Purge, Utopia, When We Rise and The Stand.

She’s also had small appearances in movies like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master.

Taylor’s first on-screen role was in Breaking Bad where she appeared opposite her famous dad, Bryan Cranston, as the fleeting “Sad Faced Girl” back in 2010.

Since then, she’s enjoyed larger roles in MTV series Sweet/Vicious as well as American Vandal, For All Mankind and movies Heartthrob and The Last Champion.

After a small part in The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Isa broke through in sci-fi series Star Trek: Picard, before picking up a main role in the 2023 Disney+ Goosebumps series.

Isa is also a popular face in the theatre world, having appeared in Hamilton as well as the Broadway production Hadestown and most recently, Off-Broadway’s All Nighter.

Welsh actor Gerran cut his teeth on CBBC series Young Dracula before going on to star in series including Emerald City, Catch-22, Suspicion, Ludwig and Out There.

He’s also appeared in This Country, Casualty, Drifters and Some Girls, as well as the war epics 1917 and Freedom’s Path.

Aussie actor Shabana starred in homegrown series including In Limbo, Nautilus, Metro Sexual and Why Are You Like This before her international breakthrough moment in The Pitt.

You’re perhaps most likely to recognise her from her small role in Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar, or for her appearance as Nowa in the Sarah Snook horror Run Rabbit Run.

Season one of The Pitt is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes of season two streaming weekly.

We’re about to enter British Summer Time (BST).

This year (2026), it kicks in at 1am on Sunday, 29 March (in the UK, always happens on the last Sunday of March, thanks in part to Chris Martin’s great-great-grandfather).

And while the shift is linked to lower incidences of car accidents, it’s also associated with worse sleep and even a higher risk of heart attacks.

So, we thought we’d share the best advice we’ve heard about coping with the change:

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, Dr Tim Mercer, an NHS GP partner, said, “On Sunday, 29th March, eat dinner an hour earlier than usual.”

That’s because “Where we’re losing an hour, eating too close to your bedtime can disturb your sleep and cause indigestion,” he explained.

Clock changes can wreak havoc on our Circadian rhythm, or body clock, which is key to a good night’s sleep.

But sunlight can help to regulate your sleep-wake cycle, and morning light seems most effective of all. That’s because it may encourage something called a “phase advance,” which means you fall asleep faster, potentially making an earlier wakeup more bearable.

Dr Tim Mercer, an insomnia specialist, shared that different generations have their own ways of handling clock changes.

Gen Z may be the “most disadvantaged” group after the clock changes, he added, as their natural sleep patterns tend towards being night owls. And Millennials might be more likely to deal with “orthosomnia,” where anxiety about perfect sleep can (paradoxically) keep you up all night.

These groups all need to take different approaches, he added.

It takes a lot of people several days to acclimatise to the clocks changing. And even if your sleep routine and daytime activity are perfect, it’s possible you might still struggle with the shift.

Speaking to the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Dr Rachel Sharman, a researcher in Sleep Medicine, said, “Recognise that it may take time for your body to adjust to the new schedule and be gentle with yourself during this transition period”.

Stressing about it may only make any sleep issues worse.

Miley Cyrus is celebrating 20 years since she first transformed into fictional popstar Hannah Montana for the beloved Disney Channel series that became appointment viewing for tweens everywhere in the mid-2000s.

To mark the occasion, Miley put together a suitably epic anniversary special for Disney+, featuring Miley’s own recollections from her time as Hannah, as well as appearances from stars like Selena Gomez and Chappell Roan, who opened up about what the show meant to them.

After launching in 2006, Hannah Montana quickly became one of Disney’s most successful shows, drawing in global audiences in the hundreds of millions and launching Miley’s career as a star in her own right.

Young viewers across the world became enchanted by the blonde-wig-donning teen with a secret life as a global pop star, as the lines between Hannah and Miley became increasingly blurry.

With Hannah Montana now back in the spotlight thanks to the anniversary special, we’ve gathered some little-known facts about how the whole thing came together that even the most devoted Smilers might not have known…

When Disney first envisioned Hannah Montana, they were on the look-out for a rising teen actor to play the lead character.

This didn’t deter Miley Cyrus, just 11 at that time, who decided to try out anyway, even though she was too young for the part (she’d previously gone for the role of Lilly, which eventually went to Emily Osment).

Indeed, while they were impressed with her audition, the Hannah Montana team initially turned Miley down due to her age, but a year later, still struggling to find a young star who impressed them as much as her, invited her back to try out again.

Famously, Miley spotted a t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “I should have my own TV show” to wear for her audition while mall shopping with her mum – and the rest is history.

These days, it’s impossible to imagine anyone but Miley as Hannah, but during the anniversary show, former Disney executive Gary Marsh shared some fascinating lore about how the title character was nearly played by an entirely different actor.

“We were down to the last two girls, and you were this 12-year-old pistol, raw and real, and fresh out of Tennessee,” he told Miley. “And you both left… there [were] 10 people in the room, and we took a vote. It was not a landslide.

“People put forth their real opinion, and I had made a decision, and I wrote an email to the team. It said, ’we pride ourselves not just on creating great television, but on creating stars. I’m ready to pull the trigger on Miley. Is she a risk? Unquestionably true. Is she a potential star? Absolutely.

“’And whatever comes of this decision, I’m thrilled that all of us will be able to sit down over a drink in a few years and remember this moment when we decided to forsake the safe route for the riskier one and the greater reward’.”

This, combined with the fact Miley was originally considered too young to play Hannah makes it even more miraculous that the stars aligned.

Speaking of which, before Miley was cast as Hannah there were several other stars in consideration for that infamous blonde wig .

One of them was Taylor Momsen, who was only seven when she appeared in How The Grinch Stole Christmas opposite Jim Carrey in 2000 (six years before Hannah Montana launched).

Taylor apparently got down to the final two, but doesn’t sound too cut up about not getting the role, going on to star in Gossip Girl and form her band The Pretty Reckless.

She previously admitted: “Honestly, if I’d ended up as Hannah Montana, I don’t know if the show would have gone as well. I probably would have told them all to go fuck themselves by the time I hit 11.”

Nickelodeon and Victorious star Daniella Monet also made it down to the final few, as well as Mexican singer and actor Belinda, as did teen singer JoJo, now best known for her hits Too Little Too late and Leave (Get Out).

Hannah’s bedazzled popstar wardrobe was one of the key reasons tweens loved tuning in to see her in action, and Miley explained that her mum Tish played a big part in shaping her on-screen persona’s style.

Tish was a key voice in whether something was “very Hannah” or “very Miley” with Miley often going with her mum’s suggestions over Disney’s.

Miley’s real dad Billy Ray Cyrus famously played her character’s on-screen father in Hannah Montana.

However, in the newly-released 20th anniversary show, it emerged that he was practically giving the part away before officially signing up.

She recalled: “He goes out into the parking lot, grabs other dads, brings them into Disney and is like, ‘You should hire this guy! He’s a great actor!’.”

The Grammy winner added: “Me and mom were both like, ‘Shut up!’. You were always the guy trying to give the other guy the job.”

In a 2015 interview with Marie Claire, Miley opened up about the intense schedule when working on Hannah Montana.

She claimed that she and her co-stars often worked 12-hour days, and that her mum Tish suggested bringing in certain lights to deter seasonal affective disorder.

“Every morning, I was getting coffee jammed down my throat to wake me up,” Miley said. “I just had to keep going, be tough, be strong. Everything happened to me on that set.”

It’s hard to remember a time when Taylor Swift wasn’t one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, but when she appeared in the Hannah Montana movie in 2009, it was for very different reasons.

Taylor cameos in the movie, performing her song Crazier, while also contributing You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home to the soundtrack.

“The way that Taylor Swift ended up in the Hannah Montana movie was because this was kind of the beginning of her career, and they were looking for someone that would authentically – no shade, I guess – be performing in a barn,” Miley explained.

“Credit where credit’s due. Banger,” she added of Taylor’s contribution to the movie.

Hannah Montana: 20th Anniversary Special is now streaming on Disney+.