Articles tagged with Sleep
A national Canadian study found that older adults who are socially connected, physically healthy, and spiritually engaged are significantly more likely to experience complete mental health. Social support emerged as one of the strongest predictors, doubling the odds of achieving complete mental health.
A study of 3,959 healthy Japanese workers found that longer working hours, including unpaid care and domestic work, are associated with a higher risk of nonrestorative sleep and poor mental health in women. The researchers call for policy changes to address time poverty and promote gender equality.
Research from Flinders University finds that people with sleep apnea who experience dramatic night-to-night breathing problems are 30% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. The studies suggest that repeated changes in oxygen levels and sleep disruption can quietly stress the heart and blood vessels over time.
Scientists have developed a method to track increased movement of brain fluids during sleep without invasive procedures. This allows for the study of how sleep enhances brain cleaning processes.
A new study from the University of Oulu suggests that large swings in bedtime could double the risk of serious cardiac events. Inconsistent bedtimes were strongly associated with a higher risk of major cardiovascular events, especially among those who get less than eight hours of sleep.
A study found that late sleep schedules are linked to unhealthy eating habits, including increased calorie intake and snacking, as well as reduced physical activity, particularly during school hours. The researchers suggest that parents should pay attention to their children's sleep timing during adolescence.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has announced the 2026 award recipients for their exceptional contributions to sleep medicine. The award winners are Dr. Susan Redline, Danny Eckert, Dr. Douglas Kirsch, Dr. Beth Malow, and Dr. Robert Stansbury, recognized for their research, education, advocacy, and clinical care.
Research suggests living in areas with high levels of transportation noise is associated with a significantly higher risk of major adverse cardiac events. Loud road, aviation, and rail noises were linked to increased risks of heart attack, stroke, or coronary revascularization. Different types of noise may come with unique health risks...
Researchers found that immersive dreaming, even with wake-like brain activity, leads to a greater feeling of deep sleep. Vivid dreams are associated with subjective deeper sleep, while abstract thoughts are related to more shallow feelings.
The study identified six sleep health dimensions in young adolescents: irregularity, timing, duration, social jetlag, weekend oversleep, and continuity. Greater irregularity was associated with higher concurrent transdiagnostic mental health symptoms, while shorter duration was linked to increased symptoms at follow-up.
A study found that sleep apps can have negative effects on people with insomnia symptoms, causing more worries and stress. While the apps helped some users, younger adults reported stronger effects, while older individuals responded less.
Adolescents who replaced half an hour of sedentary behaviors with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity or sleep showed a 15% lower insulin resistance. This study highlights the importance of being active early in life for long-term health, aligning with the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 metrics.
A study published in JAMA Network Open found that analyzing fine-scale patterns in brain waves during sleep can provide insights into brain health. The research suggests that sudden large spikes on EEG, known as kurtosis, are associated with a lower risk of dementia.
Researchers found that adults with ADHD exhibit more sleep-like brain activity, leading to more lapses in attention. This increased activity may be a key brain mechanism underlying attention problems in ADHD. Further study is needed to explore potential strategies to mitigate this activity.
A study by researchers at the University of Basel and University of Bern found that spring fatigue is not a real biological phenomenon, but rather a culturally influenced concept. Participants in an online survey reported feeling more exhausted in spring, but the data showed no correlation with seasonal changes.
The research team created a fiber memristor-based physical reservoir computing system that enables seamless, continuous, and unobtrusive sleep monitoring. The system achieved 94.8% accuracy in snore event detection, 95.4% in sleep stage classification, and 93.5% in multi-modal fusion tasks.
A team from Hackensack Meridian Health found that during the deepest sleep, breathing patterns become independent of brain activity, unlike lighter sleep or wakefulness. This study provides new insights into how internal brain states interact with peripheral rhythms like respiration.
A large observational study found that sleeping 7 hours and 18 minutes per night may help prevent insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, weekend catch-up sleep can increase the risk of impaired glucose metabolism in those who sleep beyond this threshold every night.
A study found insufficient sleep among US adolescents, with trends suggesting environmental and structural factors are driving the issue, rather than specific behaviors. The findings highlight the need for population-level interventions to address widespread sleep loss.
A systematic review and meta-analysis found a small correlation between daily screen use and later sleep onset in youth. However, short-term fluctuations in screen time had limited effects on sleep duration, efficiency, or quality.
Chronic sleep disruption persistently impairs social memory by differentially encoding oxytocin release in hippocampal CA2 during novelty encoding and prelimbic cortex during retrieval of familiar individuals. Restoration of PVN-OXT neurons enhances OXT release and produces sustained behavioral recovery.
A new multicenter study by Kumamoto University and National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center found that working-age adults with shorter sleep durations are more likely to develop atrial fibrillation. In contrast, retirees showed no significant association between sleep duration and AF risk.
A new study from the University of East Anglia found that babies with an increased likelihood of autism may struggle to settle into deep, restorative sleep. Those with high sensory sensitivity slept more lightly even in quiet environments.
Research by Amita Sehgal and her team reveals that sleep helps neurons stay healthy by removing oxidative damage through lipid transfer to glia cells. This process is crucial for maintaining neuronal function and may contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
A new study found that aligning overnight fasting with the body's natural sleep-wake rhythm improved cardiovascular and metabolic health. Participants who extended their fast by two hours and dimmed lights three hours before bedtime showed significant improvements in blood pressure, heart rate, and blood-sugar control.
A Northwestern University study found that 75% of participants had dreams including puzzle fragments, with solved puzzles occurring more often in lucid and non-lucid dreams. Engineering dreams may help increase creative problem-solving ability.
A new study from McGill University identified five distinct biological subtypes of chronotypes, which are linked to unique behavioral and health patterns. The research found that one group of night owls is more vulnerable to depression, while another group of early birds has fewer health problems overall.
The Sleep Innovation Laboratories, led by Dr. Matthew Walker and Eti Ben Simon, aims to bridge foundational neuroscience with real-world application related to sleep. The Labs will focus on creating greater access to engaging, actionable sleep education and advancing a core strategy of the Center for BrainHealth.
Scientists at Nagoya University identified a brain circuit that keeps mice awake in unfamiliar environments, releasing neurotensin to maintain wakefulness and protect against potential dangers. This discovery may explain the 'first night effect' in humans, where the brain remains vigilant on the first night in a new place.
The FENS Forum 2026 will be Europe's largest neuroscience congress, covering areas of basic to translational research. Journalists can register for free and attend symposia and poster sessions.
A new clinical trial found that solriamfetol helped early morning shift workers with shift work disorder stay more alert and report better overall functioning. The study, published in NEJM Evidence, enrolled 78 early-morning shift workers and showed significant improvement in sleepiness and daily activities after four weeks of treatment.
Middle-aged and older adults who were more active in the evenings had poorer cardiovascular health compared to their peers who were more active during the day. This study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that evening chronotypes are associated with behaviors that can affect cardiovascular health, such ...
A study of 700 teens found that screen time negatively affects sleep quality and beliefs about healthy lifestyles. The researchers suggest reducing screen exposure, increasing social interaction, and promoting alternative activities to promote healthier lifestyles and better sleep.
Researchers found that sleeping without pillows can lower harmful high internal eye pressure in people with glaucoma. The study suggests that stacking pillows alter neck position, which compresses the jugular vein and prevents natural drainage of aqueous humor.
A study finds that nearly half of newborns with severe spina bifida experience breathing problems during sleep, which can be detected through comprehensive sleep studies. Early treatment may significantly improve cognitive development in these high-risk infants.
Scientists at the University of Surrey have created ultra-sensitive nanofiber-based sensors that can harness power from gentle movements, enabling continuous and maintenance-free sensing. These breakthrough sensors have potential applications in sleep disorder monitoring and dementia care.
The ŌURA–NUS Joint Lab combines wearable biometric data with sleep science expertise to study how sleep and physical activity shape long-term health outcomes. The lab aims to generate insights that help individuals, clinicians, and health systems shift from reactive care to proactive preventive health.
Researchers found that mice higher in their social hierarchy benefited from isolation, while those lower did not. The team also discovered that being alone can disrupt the brain's ability to stabilize its internal rhythms during sleep, which may be relevant to human mental health.
A new open-science resource for studying sleep in children with autism has been launched, leveraging state-of-the-art wearable and nearable devices to gather unprecedented data. The Simons Sleep Project reveals that autistic children have greater difficulties falling asleep than their siblings, and this specific sleep problem is associ...
Researchers developed a smartphone-based assessment approach to detect improvements in daytime insomnia symptoms, detecting treatment effects more powerfully than traditional methods. The new method leverages real-time, multimethod assessment and shows potential for personalizing sleep medicine care.
A new UK-wide clinical trial evaluated a self-guided behavioural sleep programme for children with epilepsy, resulting in improved sleep duration of 16.5 minutes. However, the main issue was engagement, as only half of those given access to the resources used them.
A study found that maintaining a bedroom temperature of 24°C at night reduces stress responses and helps the heart recover from heat exposure. Dr. Fergus O'Connor's research suggests this can be especially beneficial for individuals aged 65 years and over.
This randomized clinical trial found yoga to significantly accelerate opioid withdrawal recovery and improve autonomic regulation, anxiety, sleep, and pain. The study supports the integration of yoga into withdrawal protocols as a neurobiologically informed intervention addressing core regulatory processes.
A recent study found that back pain can predict sleep problems years later in men over 65, leading to a 12% to 25% increase in sleep issues. Men with back pain are more likely to experience poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness.
A new AI model, SleepFM, uses large-scale sleep data to predict over 100 health conditions. The model analyzes various physiological signals and identifies patterns that can forecast disease onset with reasonable accuracy.
A Bar-Ilan University study uncovers the origin of sleep in jellyfish and sea anemones, demonstrating that protecting neurons from DNA damage is a basic function of sleep. The research shows that both species accumulate DNA damage during wakefulness and reduce it during sleep, with increased damage triggering recovery sleep.
Researchers developed a triple-electrode integrated functional electrode for synchronized monitoring of neural signals and dopamine release during sleep-wake transitions. The study highlights the critical role of dopamine in regulating sleep-stage transitions and identifies distinct neuronal populations involved in this process.
A national longitudinal cohort study found consistently worse mental health outcomes among middle-aged and older adults at high risk of obstructive sleep apnea. Integrated screening and intervention strategies are needed to address this association.
A new study from Texas A&M University reveals that circadian disruptions change the structure of mammary glands, weaken immune defenses, and fuel aggressive breast cancer. Disabling an immune checkpoint molecule called LILRB4 helps restore the immune system's ability to fight back.
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev identified SIRT6 as a critical upstream drug target for combating neurodegenerative pathology. By reprogramming gene expression, SIRT6 prevents the production of neurotoxic tryptophan metabolites and promotes protective neurotransmitters.
A newly discovered neural pathway connects the amygdala with arousal centers in mice, revealing a key mechanism for emotional regulation of sleep-wake cycles. This finding highlights potential therapeutic targets for stress-related insomnia and mood disorders.
A new study published in Sleep Health found that the quality of a night's sleep, rather than its length, predicts how quickly older adults process information the next day. Researchers analyzed data from 261 participants aged 70 and above, who wore devices to track their sleep and completed cognitive assessments six times a day.
A study found that the week after the autumn clock change is associated with a reduction in demand for NHS services for anxiety, cardiovascular disease, depression, and psychiatric conditions. However, there is little evidence to suggest that the spring clock change has any short-term effect on health conditions.
A study by Raedeh Basiri found associations between dietary patterns, glycemic status, diabetes control, and sleep outcomes. Individuals with diabetes or prediabetes were more likely to have trouble sleeping and experience abnormal sleep duration compared to those without these conditions.
A study of over 3,500 adolescents found that social jet lag has widespread negative effects on the developing brain's structure and neural circuits. This includes weaker connections between key brain regions responsible for sensory processing, emotion regulation, and social function.
A recent study published in SLEEP Advances found a strong correlation between insufficient sleep and decreased life expectancy. The research, conducted by Oregon Health & Science University, suggests that catching at least seven hours of sleep per night can improve overall well-being and longevity.
A study of over 70,000 people found that fewer than 13% meet recommended sleep and physical activity targets. Improving sleep quality was associated with higher daily activity levels. The findings suggest prioritizing sleep may be the first step toward a healthier, more active life.
Researchers developed an experimental protocol to monitor brain activity in mouse models, finding that brain activity shifts from inner layers to cortex throughout the day. This discovery could lead to new methods for assessing fatigue and understanding mental health issues.
A new study links rising temperatures to reduced sleep quality and length in US adults, particularly those living on the West Coast. The research estimates that by 2099, people could lose up to 24 hours of sleep each year due to heat, highlighting the potential impact of climate change on sleep health.
A new study found that fragmented sleep worsens symptoms of traumatic brain injury and decreases rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. Injured mice failed to compensate for lost REM sleep, leading to increased fatigue and decreased activity. The research highlights the critical role of uninterrupted sleep in brain injury recovery.