https://medicalxpress.com/sleep-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Sleep medicine For many children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), adenotonsillectomy (T&A) improves sleep efficiency (SE) and resolves OSA, according to a study published online April 12 in Laryngoscope: Investigative Otolaryngology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-adenotonsillectomy-efficiency-pediatric-obstructive-apnea.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:00:01 EDT news696777365 For nearly 25 years, scientists believed they knew what caused the most severe form of narcolepsy. A new UCLA Health study now suggests they were only half correct. In a study published in Nature Communications, UCLA Health researchers have discovered that narcolepsy with sudden loss of muscle strength, known as cataplexy, involves degeneration of neurons in not one, but two regions of the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-severe-narcolepsy-brain-region.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:30:01 EDT news696784801 Nearly one-third of Australian adults are getting less than the recommended seven hours of sleep, with young adults (ages 18–34) emerging as the most sleep deprived and most affected by the consequences of poor sleep, reveals a new study by Flinders University and the Sleep Health Foundation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-young-adults.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:20:05 EDT news696759062 Adults with more severe atopic dermatitis (AD) are at risk for sleep and memory disturbances, according to a study published online April 21 in Dermatitis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-atopic-dermatitis-linked-memory-disturbances.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 22:20:01 EDT news696523475 Not everyone can sleep through rumbling traffic or a spouse's incessant snoring. If you do, you may pride yourself on being a "deep" or "heavy" sleeper. If you struggle to fall or stay asleep, you may consider yourself a "light" sleeper. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-youre-deep-sleeper-science-isnt.html Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:30:01 EDT news695994316 Combining medications with behavioral therapy to treat chronic insomnia might not be best for all patients, a new practice guideline says. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) works best on its own, but can be combined with sleep meds for some patients, according to the guideline published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-guidelines-highlight-behavioral-therapy-insomnia.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 21:00:01 EDT news696237667 Optimal sleep duration is associated with better executive function, with a significantly higher impact of optimal sleep among those with focal epilepsy, according to a study published online April 22 in Neurology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-optimal-dementia-patients-focal-epilepsy.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:40:01 EDT news696256848 Insomnia may have been torturing humanity since ancient times, but over the last 20 years scientists have made progress in their understanding of chronic sleep deprivation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scientists-view-insomnia.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:00:07 EDT news696176461 A new Flinders University study shows that nurses working in general practice could play a major role in improving access to sleep‑health treatment, but only if patients and general practice staff are involved in designing these services. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-gp-nurses-access.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:40:01 EDT news696142502 For people with epilepsy, getting poor sleep was associated with a higher risk of dementia compared to people without epilepsy, according to a study published in Neurology. In addition, getting optimal sleep, six to eight hours a day, is associated with higher cognitive scores than getting poor sleep, less than six or more than eight hours a day. The study does not prove that poor sleep quality causes worse cognition and dementia risk; it only shows an association. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-epilepsy-poor-dementia.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:00:06 EDT news696007501 A randomized controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of proximal hypoglossal nerve stimulation, or pHGNS, (an implanted stimulation therapy targeting specific sectors of nerves in the tongue) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) found that pHGNS significantly reduced breathing interruptions during sleep and improved patient-reported daytime sleepiness without any significant adverse events. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-implanted-nerve-obstructive-apnea-safe.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:00:02 EDT news695893982 A new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center, published in Sleep and Breathing, reveals a significant link between obstructive sleep apnea and skeletal muscle quality. This finding may indicate an increased risk of muscle deterioration with aging, something many of us are unaware of. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-obstructive-apnea-linked-poorer-muscle.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:20:02 EDT news695916541 Melatonin is a naturally produced molecule that has long been suspected to play a role in healthy sleep, but it has been unclear how it does so. Now, Caltech researchers have discovered a mechanism through which melatonin promotes sleep, using zebrafish models in the laboratory. The research was conducted in the lab of Professor of Biology David Prober and is described in a paper published in Current Biology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-melatonin-visual-sensitivity-zebrafish.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:20:04 EDT news695909041 New research reveals that as people age, naps may be an easily trackable warning sign of underlying conditions or declining health. A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham and Rush University Medical Center followed 1,338 older adults for up to 19 years to track napping habits and associated mortality rates. They found longer, more frequent, and morning naps were associated with higher mortality rates. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-daytime-napping-patterns-reveal-hidden.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:40:07 EDT news695902321 It's 3am. The room is dark, the house is silent, but your brain is suddenly wide awake. Many people find themselves waking at roughly the same time each night and start to wonder whether something is wrong with their sleep. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-night.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:00:04 EDT news695477582 There are a few reasons why we might dream, say neuroscientists. Even dreams that are scary may serve a purpose: One prevalent idea is that fear in dreams could help people deal with fear in waking life, much like exposure therapy. One University of Kansas researcher recently tested this concept. Garrett Baber, a KU doctoral student in clinical psychology, sought to test whether emotions experienced within dreams—like fear and joy—change feelings the following morning. The research is published in the journal SLEEP. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-reveals-affect-emotions-day-life.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:40:03 EDT news695399761 Research from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa proposes a new model to explain why nightmares can persist over time in children and how therapy can be designed to break that cycle. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-nightmares-persist-children.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:00:01 EDT news695015521 As the world heats up, nights are warming faster than days where most people live—and this ambient heat affects how well and how long people sleep. A new article by eminent sleep scientists, including the presidents of the World Sleep Society and International Pediatric Sleep Association, suggests that warm nights are already degrading sleep for billions of people worldwide. The problem is poised to become significantly worse if this trend continues without further adaptation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scientists-nighttime-threatens-billions.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:40:01 EDT news694949269 Mount Sinai researchers have created an analytic tool using machine learning that can predict cardiovascular disease risk in millions of patients with obstructive sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder, according to findings recently published in Communications Medicine. The team said their study is the first to provide estimates of whether continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a widely used therapy for obstructive sleep apnea, will increase or decrease an individual's cardiovascular risk. It highlights the potential for precision medicine and varied approaches to tailor clinical care and reduce cardiovascular disease risk in vulnerable patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-cpap-massively-heart-apnea.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:40:03 EDT news694971481 Consumer wearables have become everyday tools for monitoring sleep and physical activity. Researchers at the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) have now shown that their capabilities may extend further: pulse signals recorded overnight carry enough information to estimate vascular age, a key indicator of cardiovascular health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-wearable-cardiovascular-health.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:40:04 EDT news694866181 Organoids are miniature, simplified versions of an organ. Over the past two decades, scientists have developed them for the gut, lung, liver, mammary gland, brain, and more. Now, researchers at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) have organoid-ized the pineal gland, a small structure in the brain that regulates sleep patterns through its production of the hormone melatonin. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-lab-grown-pineal-gland-organoids.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:40:01 EDT news694860494 People whose sleep apnea changes dramatically from night to night are 30% more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, reveals a new study from Flinders University. The research, published in the journal SLEEP, shows that it is not just how severe sleep apnea is that matters, but how much it fluctuates, with wide night-to-night swings in breathing problems during sleep linked to a higher risk of serious heart disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-patterns-reveal-hidden-heart.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:20:06 EDT news694776661 An irregular bedtime in midlife may signal an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study from the University of Oulu suggests that large swings in when people go to bed could double the risk of serious cardiac events—particularly among those who get less than eight hours of sleep. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-irregular-bedtime-linked-higher-cardiac.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 15:30:01 EDT news694101005 A groundbreaking new study tracking almost 2,000 young Australians for a decade has challenged a long-held assumption about depression and physical health, finding disrupted sleep was a stronger predictor of later insulin resistance rather than weight gain. The research from the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Centre found that weight gain is not the main reason depression is linked to later insulin resistance, which is an early marker of diabetes and heart disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-depression-young-people-physical-health.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 09:00:01 EDT news694175072 Easter is here and chocolate is everywhere—crowding shop shelves, piling up on desks, and likely already sitting in your pantry. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-enjoy-easter-chocolate.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:40:01 EDT news694342224 New research to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026, Istanbul, Turkey, 12–15 May) shows that those living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a 71% higher risk of cardiovascular events (CVEs) or death from any cause (all-cause mortality) compared with those not living with OSA. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-association-obstructive-apnea-mortality-cardiovascular.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:00:03 EDT news694337367 A research team at Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin has developed a test that can determine a person's chronotype based on their hair roots. It is intended to lay the foundation for circadian medicine—that is, medicine that is more closely aligned with the human body's internal clock. Applied to approximately 4,000 people, the new method also reveals that women and men differ slightly in their biological rhythms, and that lifestyle has a greater influence than previously assumed. The results have now been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-body-internal-clock-hair-sample.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:20:02 EDT news694264381 Have you ever been drifting off to sleep when suddenly you hear what sounds like a gunshot, a door slamming, or an explosion inside your head? You jolt awake, heart pounding, sit upright in bed, but the room is silent. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-syndrome-common-condition.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:20:02 EDT news694174915 While sleep is essential to health, nearly half of adults (45%) have not discussed sleep with their health care professional, according to a new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The health care conversation gap is wider for women. According to the survey, women (49%) are more likely than men (40%) to have not discussed their sleep with any health professional. As a result, women are less likely to get specialist referrals, making women (9%) less likely to have discussed their sleep with a sleep specialist compared with men (21%). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-health-overlooked-adults-havent-professional.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:00:03 EDT news694083930 Electrical signals from the brain could help identify potential issues in the organ's development, a new study reports. Scientists from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and the University of Surrey investigated electrical activity in the brains of sleeping infants longitudinally, at ages 3 and 6 months. They examined three electrical signals with distinct frequencies: slow wave activity (0.75–4.25 Hz), theta (4.5–7.5 Hz) power and sigma (9.75–14.75 Hz) power, which are key markers of sleep depth and brain development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-eeg-reveals-infant-brain-rhythms.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:40:04 EDT news694102986