https://medicalxpress.com/sleep-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Sleep & Recovery Greater amounts of REM and deep sleep were associated with lower risks of dozens of diseases, and less than 5 hours of total sleep was associated with high disease risks, according to a new study published Sept. 17 in the journal PLOS Medicine by Shengzhi Sun of Capital Medical University, China, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-rem-deep-total-disease.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:00:13 EDT news708797641 Poor sleep is known to lead to poor diet quality. But as a new Concordia-led study of cohabiting couples shows, poor sleep can affect not only an individual's food choices but also their partner's choices. Because couples who sleep together often eat together, one partner's unhealthy food choices can have a ripple effect on the other's eating habits, the researchers say. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-poor-partner-affect-partners-diets.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:20:01 EDT news708697735 Has your partner ever woken you up at night with their coughing? Has your coughing ever woken them up? New research suggests it could be due to air pollution levels in your area, even if those levels are low. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-app-tracks-link-air-pollution.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 05:00:13 EDT news708603241 What makes the brain fall asleep? For nearly a century, scientists have looked to structures deep within the brain for the answer. In the traditional view, these regions control when we sleep and wake, while the cerebral cortex—the part of the brain involved in perception, thought and memory—is largely a passive follower. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-rare-cortical-neurons-synchronize-brain.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:01 EDT news708491767 A study published in Experimental Neurology provides new insights into the biological alterations underlying difficulties with precise fine movements observed in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (POSA). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-brain-insulation-clues-emerge-pediatric.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:20:04 EDT news708352022 You're hurrying out of the grocery store to drive home and start cooking dinner. As the doors close behind you, you step into the parking lot and head … where? Where, among the rows of gleaming vehicles, did you park your car? The memory seems to have disappeared. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-deep-loss-linked-alzheimer-protein.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:20:04 EDT news708338882 Obesity caused by disrupted stress-hormone rhythms is metabolically very different from obesity caused by a high-fat diet, according to a new preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The researchers found in mice that glucocorticoid-rhythm disruption concentrates insulin resistance in skeletal muscle while preserving key insulin responses in fat tissue and liver. This allows fat tissue to continue storing lipids, while the liver remains largely protected from the fat accumulation typically seen with high-fat-diet obesity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-stress-hormone-kind-obesity.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 16:20:04 EDT news708269881 One in eight people worldwide does not get an uninterrupted night's sleep because of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This sleep disorder causes people to wake up suddenly when a blockage or narrowing in the upper airway prevents air from flowing properly through the windpipe. These repeated interruptions can leave a person exhausted, even after what's technically a full night's sleep. Obesity is a contributing factor to this sleep disorder, so researchers reviewed existing literature to see how GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, a class of weight-loss and diabetes drugs, can be used to treat OSA. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-popular-weight-loss-drug-doctors.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:29:26 EDT news708247720 Exposure to light at night is linked to important and potentially harmful changes in the structure and function of the heart, according to a study of more than 11,000 people published in the European Heart Journal on Thursday. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-night-linked-heart-function.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 18:00:03 EDT news708089372 During the day, waste products such as lactic acid and worn-out proteins build up in the brain. When we sleep at night, waves of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) help wash away this waste, keeping the brain healthy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-pink-noise.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:40:07 EDT news708192241 Two researchers who did groundbreaking work on narcolepsy, the neurological disorder that triggers sudden sleep attacks, won a prestigious science award Wednesday. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-uncovered-narcolepsy-honored.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:41:19 EDT news708187236 In a new study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, UCLA Health researchers found that older adults who underwent cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia were more likely to experience insomnia remission and a slower pace of biological aging than a control group that received sleep education. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-biological-aging.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 12:00:09 EDT news708171002 Some preteens have no trouble getting a full night's rest. Those experiencing anxiety often lie awake. The reason for both may be related to a pea-sized gland in the middle of their brains. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-high-anxiety-brain-preteens.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:40:11 EDT news708165693 In mogul skiing, a fraction of a second can make all the difference. A momentary lapse in attention, a misjudged turn or a delayed decision can turn a smooth sequence into a mistake or even a disaster. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-thin-air-mind-skiers-mental.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:20:18 EDT news708164701 You've had a tough day and want nothing more than to flop on the sofa and listen to some soothing music. After a few minutes, you feel peaceful and calm. Anecdotally, music has long been known to relieve stress, but the scientific evidence has been mixed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-music-stressed-brain.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:40:15 EDT news708080455 In a third of cases, AI chatbots wrongly reassure sleep apnea patients that their symptoms are not serious, discouraging them from seeking a referral to a specialist, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona, Spain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-cases-ai-chatbots-wrongly-reassure.html Sun, 06 Sep 2026 06:30:04 EDT news707657580 Modern lifestyles, longer light exposure and constant digital distractions have pushed the world into a global sleep crisis—one that poses a major threat to public health. Sleep loss doesn't just leave us tired and irritable; it can also affect our memory. The processes that happen in our brain when we sleep play a crucial role in helping us learn, store and recall new information. Even a single short night can disrupt this kind of memory. Exercise is known to improve sleep, but could it also help protect memory from sleep loss? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-workout-memory-short-night.html Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:40:01 EDT news707734852 Deep inside the brain, a master clock synchronizes thousands of molecular clocks scattered throughout the body, and together, they anticipate signals such as the rising sun, the coming night and the daily rhythms of life. But Texas A&M University researchers have discovered that the liver is also listening for another signal, one tuned to something much closer to home: the dinner bell. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-meal-liver-daily-rhythms.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:40:03 EDT news707649460