Originally produced for BSR circa 2003. Full list of Inside Out episodes here.

Normal sleep is not what this episode is about.  Instead we bring you stories gasping for breath, visions in the night, the town that couldn’t sleep, and why 8 hours and 24 minutes is probably a good idea. Hosted by Adeline Goss. Featuring pieces by Robin Amer, Rielle Navitski, Jenny Asarnow, Jess Jones, Laura Vitale, and Molly Messick. Executive producer, Rachel Terp.

In this episode:

Addie interviews Hyacinth DaCosta, an aide at the Sleep Lab at Brown University, on what we can consider “normal” sleep patterns.

Robin Amer interviews musician Christopher Smith, who suffers from sleep apnea. The disorder causes him to wake up as many as 25 times an hour. After a full night’s sleep, he’s still not well rested.

Jenny Asarnow presents perspectives on night terrors. Physiological glitch or portal into another dimension? You decide.

An excerpt from Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, in which a sleeping plague descends on the town of Macando. Produced by Jess Jones and Laura Vitale, read by Seth Bockley.

Most students sleep less than 6 hours on weekdays. Molly Messick takes a look at the downsides of the average college sleep cycle.

Thanks to Beth Taylor.