Sleep researchers share Nobel Prize

Three Americans have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries about the body’s biological clock – opening up new fields of research and raising awareness about the importance of getting enough sleep.

Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W Young won the nine million kronor (£820,000) prize for their work on finding genetic mechanisms behind circadian rhythms, which adapt the workings of the body to different phases of the day, influencing sleep and behaviour.