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Sleep medicine news

Waking at 3 am every night? Here's what may be going on

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.

Study reveals how dreams affect our emotions in day-to-day life

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 ...

Sleep patterns may reveal hidden heart risks

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 ...

Irregular bedtime linked to higher risk of cardiac events

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 ...

The body's internal clock can be determined from a hair sample

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 ...

Vivid dreaming makes sleep feel deeper, researchers discover

Researchers led by Guilio Bernardi at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca in Italy have discovered a key relationship between dreaming and the feeling of having had a good night's sleep. Published in PLOS Biology, the ...