Common swift stays airborne for 10 months straight!

I know this article about birds isn't relative to human sleep (at least directly). I thought it was fascinating because as a sleep doctor, my first question was when do these birds sleep, if they can stay in the air for 10 months. All animals have to sleep, so they much be getting some sleep. Turns out they climb really high and then coast down for 30 minutes at least twice a day, presumably to take power naps. Scientists don't know for sure if the birds are actually sleeping, but this is their best guess, and it makes sense to me. Maybe the ornithologists need to do a portable sleep study on these birds!

Sandpipers that sleep less mate more and have more offspring

This article describes research findings that a certain type of Sandpiper that sleeps less was able to mate more and have more offspring. The scientists involved in the study are not sure about why the birds get less sleep but the birds did not appear to have any negative effects from the sleep loss. Researchers are hoping to study the birds brains in order to understand the role of sleep and the effects of sleep loss. Unfortunately, many studies have shown that sleep loss in humans does affect her performance. Perhaps by studying these birds brains, we can figure out how to improve performance in humans who have endured sleep loss.