National Sleep-In Day 

On Sunday 31 October the clocks will go back, which simply means an extra hour in bed for most of us and we will probably enjoy spending the extra time sleeping. But, will this have an effect on our sleep?

The sleep researchers at the University of Surrey have the answer. In this podcast series you can discover: what happens to you while you sleep, whether you are a lark or an owl and what would happen if we changed our time-zone permanently.

Find out more by listening to the series.

Episode 1: Larks and Owls

Are you a morning person? Or do you tend to feel more energetic towards the end of the day? Dr Simon Archer explains that research carried out at the University of Surrey has shown that these tendencies could actually be down to your genes.

Episode 2: REM and Non-REM Sleep

You may already be aware that during sleep there are two main stages: REM sleep and non-REM sleep. Throughout your sleep the brain will go in and out of both stages causing periods of deep sleep, light sleep and dreams. Professor Derk-Jan Dijk at the Surrey Sleep Research Centre explains about the patterns of REM and non-REM sleep.

Episode 3: The Effects of Changing the Time on Sleep

Recently in the media there has been much debate about the 'Lighter Later' campaign. If the campaign were to go ahead, the time in London would match the same as other European cities like Paris. Dr Malcolm Von Schantz at the University of Surrey explains the difficulties and biological implications such a change would cause to our wellbeing.