The Museum of Sleep

10/13/2026

Although there are many beds on display in museums around the world, there are precious few that were famous even at the time while it was being used as a piece of furniture by its original owner, but that's the case with Madame Récamier's bed.

Juliette Récamier (1777-1849) was a celebrated Parisian salon hostess whose portrait by Jacques-Louis David gave the “récamier” daybed its name.

Her full bed, made around 1799 and attributed to the Jacob brothers after a design by Louis-Martin Berthault, was the talk of the time. Made of mahogany, gilt-bronze swans on the scrolled headboards, moon-crowned figures bearing torches for night, and a garland of poppies, the flower of sleep. It anticipated the Empire style before that style had a name.

Unlike traditional beds placed perpendicular to the wall, her bed sat parallel to the wall on a raised wooden platform, draped with gold-embroidered muslin curtains and flanked by mirrored walls.

In 1803, the press reported that she received visitors in bed and that, "for a week afterwards, nothing was heard of but Madame Récamier’s bed, every one who had not seen it entreating, as the greatest possible favour, that they might have a view."

Currently it is on display in Room 556 of the Louvre’s Richelieu wing, in a reconstruction of her bedroom. It was given to the museum by the Société des Amis du Louvre in 1991.

10/09/2026

The new book "The Science of Sleep" by Ulk Ellervik includes an interesting section on Mary C. Lobban, a pioneer researcher in circadian rhythms and chronobiology. We have posted many times about Nathaniel Kleitman's Mammoth Cave experiment, but unlike Kleitman, who went into the dark, Lobban sought out the unending light of summer in Spitsbergen in Arctic Norway. She was not studying sleep patterns, but rather kidney function and the effect of daylight on urination.

Searches so far have not found any images of Lobban, but here is her 1982 obituary from the journal "Polar Record".

"MARY C. LOBBAN, who was Professor of Environmental Physiology, Memorial University of Newfoundland since 1978, died there on 14 June 1982 after a long illness. Dr Lobban was earlier associated with the National Institute for Medical Research (Hampstead Laboratories) and earlier still with the Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge. With Dr Peter Lewis she was responsible for setting up experiments to obtain data on diurnal rhythms, by collecting urine samples at Brucebyen, Spitsbergen from a number of subjects placed on either 21 or 27 hour diurnal regimes. ... As one of the 'guinea-pigs' during Mary Lobban's 1955 Spitsbergen expedition, I was impressed by the vision and determination which brought some dozen subjects to live under a strict regime in the isolation of Bruce's old huts, in sight of the magnificence of the Nordenskiöldbreen and its surrounding hills. Mary Lobban was very conscious that she was leading an expedition in the tradition of Scott and Shackleton, not merely organizing an experiment. One can picture a short stocky figure in windproofs crowned by a bright blue woolly hat, on board ship or resolutely man-hauling supplies over the bay ice towards Brucebyen. There was a dogged, indomitable quality about her; it is sad to see that spirit quenched so soon after the start of her work in the new world." -- Ann Savours

10/02/2026

And speaking of spiders… In 2022, the article “Regularly occurring bouts of retinal movements suggest an REM sleep–like state in jumping spiders” showed “periodic bouts of retinal movements coupled with limb twitching and stereotyped leg curling behaviors during nocturnal resting in a jumping spider.” So yes, it is very possible that spiders do experience REMsleep.

Video: “Partial leg curling behavior in a standing sleep position and frontal view on an adult during partial leg curling behavior demonstrating clear retinal movements.“

09/25/2026

As seen in person - The Great Bed of Ware! The most famous bed in the world, and the only bed (presumably) with its own Wikipedia page. Built around 1590, and mentioned by Shakespeare, Dickens, and many others, this giant (10’x11’) four-poster is big enough to fit four couples, though perhaps not comfortably.

09/02/2026

A sleep disorder side effect we hadn't seen before.

The Billings Gazette, May 20, 1926

08/13/2026

We have not been able to find out more about this invention, but this series of photographs entitled “Bed Master (Gadget For Making Bed)” was shot by Life Magazine photographer Ed Clark in March 1948.

Copyright: © Time Inc.

08/11/2026

We took time off from social media for some travel and family time, but now we’re back with a reminder that we have our two books and one zine for sale on our website.

www.museumofsleep.org/store

08/10/2026

A tradition that is new to us, but hundreds of years old in China.

The tradition of hugging winter melons to cool off dates back over 650 years to the late Ming dynasty in China.

07/02/2026

We somehow missed this when it happened a few months ago, but now it is our favorite thing.

To mark World Sleep Day on March 21st, Shanghai's Chongming Island launched a "forest sleep competition" at Dongping National Forest Park, inviting participants to rest in a natural setting while their sleep was monitored with professional equipment. Held on selected weekends through early May, the contest measured metrics such as sleep latency, duration, deep sleep, and continuity. Cash prizes were rewarded for the highest overall sleep score and the fastest time to fall asleep. Participants had to remain on their mattresses without electronic devices or other distractions. Organizers say the event promotes relaxation, highlights the restorative effects of nature, and offers urban residents a break from everyday stress.

[Photos by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

06/21/2026

The Edward Grandi collection includes a 1926 reprint of George Catlin's 1861 book "The Breath of Life," which was later retitled "Shut Your Mouth and Save Your Life." This grew out of Catlin's tours of the United States painting his famous portraits of Native Americans, since he noted that Native mothers closed their sleeping infants' mouths in order to teach them nasal breathing, which he argued led to longer lives than mouth breathers.