https://medicalxpress.com/sleep-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Sleep medicine Melatonin—a go-to sleep aid for kids and adults alike in many households in America—continues to create media buzz, with conflicting messages that leave people uncertain about its safety. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-melatonin-safe-effective-aid-ages.html Sun, 28 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT news701440144 Higher psoriasis (PsO) disease activity is independently associated with impairment in specific sleep domains, but not global sleep quality, according to a study published online May 29 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-psoriasis-linked-impairment-domains.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 22:40:01 EDT news701447615 A night without sleep produced increased markers of connections between brain cells, showing that sleep in humans may be important for restoring cellular balance in the brain, according to a study published in PLOS Biology by David Elmenhorst from the Forschungszentrum Jülich Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-sleepless-night-brain-reset.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:00:03 EDT news701341501 Researchers at Marshall University have identified a potential immune mechanism contributing to metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), offering new insight into how chronic sleep-related oxygen deprivation affects overall health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-mouse-reveals-key-inflammatory-mechanism.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 07:00:01 EDT news701411401 A growing body of research suggests that sleep may be more than a symptom of Alzheimer's disease—it may also play a role in how the disease develops and progresses. Now, new research from the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is shedding light on how everyday environmental factors and inflammation in the brain could influence sleep, circadian rhythms and Alzheimer's-related changes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-nighttime-affect-brain-health-alzheimer.html Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:20:04 EDT news701348882 Sleep is one of the most widely studied states of consciousness, known to play a role in physical recovery, the processing of memories and the regulation of immune functions. During sleep, the brain transitions between light sleep, intermediate sleep, deep sleep and dreaming. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brainstem-rem.html Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:40:09 EDT news701342347 The altered presence of tiny fragments of neuronal genes, called microexons, causes hyperarousal in zebrafish. This is the main conclusion of an international study led by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG). An abnormal pattern of neural microexon presence leads to a hyperarousal state characterized by heightened neural activity and insomnia, commonly associated with stress but also with neurodevelopmental disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-tiny-genetic-fragments-critical-brain.html Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:00:03 EDT news701010062 New research from Edith Cowan University has discovered an important link between genes and sleep habits, suggesting they work together to influence early brain and cognitive changes associated with Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms appear. The study is published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-aqp4-gene-variants-jointly-early.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:40:05 EDT news701011501 An irresistible urge to move the legs or other areas, often accompanied by unpleasant sensations at night or during rest: Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) affects millions of people worldwide. Despite being one of the most common sleep-related disorders, its biological causes remain poorly understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-restless-legs-syndrome-zebrafish-reveal.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:40:05 EDT news701008141 A teen's mental health, as well as their body mass index (BMI) and screen time, is significantly associated with sleep quality, according to a new paper published in PLOS One by Jianying Li of Shanxi University in China and colleagues. The study also found that girls and adolescents living in more rural areas tend to have lower sleep quality. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-screen-bmi-mental-health-linked.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:00:04 EDT news700731541 Infants' activity while sleeping is rhythmic, according to a new study from the University of Surrey. The findings provide crucial insight into sleep cycles of infants in the first year of life. In the largest study of its kind, scientists from Surrey, led by Dr. Eva Winnebeck, investigated the sleep cycle development of 152 infants at ages 3, 6 and 12 months. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-infant-movements-reveal-minute-inactivity.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:20:03 EDT news700905422 Disturbed sleep is a common problem—and one that has many serious consequences beyond feeling tired the next day. Research has linked insomnia and poor sleep to early mortality and diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-women-poor-good-night-rest.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:00:06 EDT news700746601 Sleep can be one of the trickiest things for families with little kids. It's not just important for parental sanity or a child's grumpiness the next day. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-child-screens-bedrooms-limit-ipads.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:40:01 EDT news700740962 A new study from scientists at the University of Rochester Medicine suggests that reinforcing the body's natural daily rhythms to improve sleep could help the brain recover after a stroke, pointing to a potential new strategy to improve brain waste clearance and outcomes long after the initial injury. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-harnessing-body-internal-clock-recovery.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:03 EDT news700743181 Snoring is not just a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea—it may also contribute to the disease. Researchers at Umeå University show that the vibrations affect how muscle cells produce and manage energy. This, in turn, may weaken the muscles of the upper airway, making them more likely to collapse during sleep. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-vibrations-contribute-apnea.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:40:10 EDT news700737039 People with type 2 diabetes who nap longer than 30 minutes every day, regardless of their sleep patterns at night, increase their risk of developing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), according to a study being presented Monday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-naps-chronic-liver-disease-people.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:00:04 EDT news700482422 Anyone who has had a bad night knows that they can feel "foggy" the next day. This fogginess may extend to our memory: remembering where we went, who we met or what happened during the encounter. Neuroscientist Robbert Havekes from the University of Groningen studies memory loss due to sleep deprivation. In a study published in the journal Science Advances on June 10, Havekes and lab member and first author Adithya Sarma show that sleep deprivation makes mice forget social encounters. However, they found that the social memories are not gone; the mice just can't seem to recall them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-sleepy-mice-met-asthma-drug.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:40:10 EDT news700396682 For millions of people, cannabis has become the unofficial prescription for lost sleep. But what feels like a solution may be quietly making the problem worse. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-cannabis-isnt-harmless-neurologist-people.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:40:08 EDT news700398482 A new study from Penn State College of Medicine, to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting, found that excessive daytime sleepiness is associated with higher odds of both prevalent and incident hypertension, and taking 30 minutes or longer to fall asleep further increases that risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-sleepy-days-restless-nights-dangerous.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:00:01 EDT news700314841 A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that people place different financial values on sleep, with those differences linked to factors such as age, income and existing attitudes about sleep. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-price-tag-survey-adults.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:40:01 EDT news700314812 A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that pregnant women's expectations about postpartum sleep predicted their actual sleep quality after delivery, outweighing prior sleep and psychiatric history. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-poor-worse-postpartum-quality.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:12 EDT news700314061 University students who aren't always enthused about walking across campus for class can take heart in new research that suggests lots of daily steps translate to improved mental health and better sleep. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-linked-healthful-rest-college-students.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:20:05 EDT news700234149 Can a simple scent released while you sleep improve your sense of smell, your memory or even the quality of your sleep? New research explores the benefits of passive olfactory stimulation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-beneficial-brain.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:20:06 EDT news700223762 Cognitive behavioral therapies for insomnia (CBT-I) are increasingly being delivered online to improve accessibility. However, although insomnia and anxiety frequently occur together in older adults, few interventions address both conditions simultaneously. A new digital platform developed by researchers at the Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), in collaboration with Concordia University, Université Laval and the Université de Montréal, aims to fill that gap. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-online-therapy-insomnia-anxiety-adults.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 22:20:03 EDT news700156922 A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that women with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea reported a greater overall symptom burden than men, even though their objective measures of sleep apnea severity were similar. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-women-apnea-greater-symptom-burden.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:00:09 EDT news700141082 A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that U.S. military veterans with both insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea face a markedly elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes, substantially exceeding the risk associated with either sleep disorder alone. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-veterans-insomnia-apnea-elevated-diabetes.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:40:02 EDT news700141022 A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that patients at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea who receive primary care in rural settings are less likely to be referred for sleep apnea evaluation than those in urban areas, even after accounting for individual and neighborhood socioeconomic factors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-rural-patients-high-obstructive-apnea.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:40:06 EDT news700139822 By inducing specific patterns of activity in small portions of the brain in awake mice, researchers have triggered a recalibration of neural connections that normally only occurs during sleep. This new approach offset the effects of sleep deprivation on memory tasks and revealed features of sleep that are key to its restorative effect. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-trigger-effect-brain.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:40:11 EDT news700133685 Children who experience persistent sleep issues throughout their younger years may have a greater risk of developing depression in adolescence, a new study suggests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-childhood-short-teenage-depression.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:00:06 EDT news700129922 An increasing number of people are suffering from sleep deprivation, difficulty falling asleep, or interrupted sleep—with consequences for health, society, and the economy. An international research team involving the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine—Brain and Behavior (INM-7) at Forschungszentrum Jülich is therefore calling for a fundamental rethink. In the future, sleep should no longer be regarded merely as a personal health issue, but as a global health priority, they argue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-poor-threatens-health-society-economy.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 10:30:02 EDT news699624126