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Sleep & Recovery news

How being 'on‑call' for work can disrupt your sleep—even if the call never comes

It's 4 a.m., you've finally drifted off, and then the phone rings. It's work calling. You have to go in. The right to disconnect from work has been protected by law in Australia since 2024. This means most employees can refuse ...

Can COVID-19 change how we breathe during sleep?

COVID-19 can leave behind fatigue, breathing difficulties and neurological symptoms that persist long after the initial infection. Because these effects can also disturb sleep, researchers have questioned whether COVID-19 ...

Why do we get sleepy? How neurons control sleep drive

Why does staying awake inevitably make us sleepy? Researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland, have identified neuronal populations in the brains of mice that become activated during prolonged wakefulness and are ...

Sleep disturbances linked to genetic Alzheimer's risk

A person's sleep patterns could be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease, a new study says. A greater number of micro-awakenings during sleep is linked to a greater genetic risk for Alzheimer's, researchers report in the journal ...

Night shift work linked to a higher risk of long COVID

The first evidence that night work and chronic insomnia may increase the risk of developing long COVID comes from a new study led by ISGlobal, a center supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, in collaboration with the Germans ...

FDA approves first drug for full range of narcolepsy symptoms

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Orzeyful (oveporexton) tablets to treat narcolepsy type 1 in adults. Orzeyful marks the first medication approved for the full range of symptoms associated with narcolepsy ...

Study points to a link between hypothyroidism and sleep apnea

According to a study conducted in Brazil by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) with participants from the São Paulo Epidemiological Sleep Study (EPISONO 2018), people with hypothyroidism experience ...

How mental health, environment shape pregnancy sleep

Nearly half of pregnant women in the United States report poor sleep quality, which has been associated with gestational diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy. A new study led by researchers at Washington University ...

Sleep disorders don't just exhaust you, they change your brain

Sleep disorders may do more than leave people feeling tired. New research from Florida International University shows that sleep disorders are associated with structural changes in brain regions involved in attention, motivation ...

How exercise keeps our brains healthy as we age

There's growing evidence linking brain health with exercise. A new study from Victoria University (VU) strengthens the case for exercise as a critical part of protecting the brain from age-related decline like dementia and ...

Secondhand smoke independently disrupts children's sleep

A new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has found that children exposed to secondhand smoke have significantly poorer sleep quality and greater sleep fragmentation, independent of the severity of their breathing ...

Brighter days linked to better sleep, study finds

A new study led by University of Manchester scientists has revealed that brighter, more consistent daytime light exposure could be key to earlier bedtimes, better-quality sleep and deeper rest. The research throws new light ...

Losing sleep is bad for individuals. Communities, too?

Large groups of people often lose sleep because of big events like a record 18-inning World Series game or a contested election night, or sudden crises like a flood, pandemic or war. In a new paper published in Clocks & Sleep, ...

How can you be tired yet wired? Blame your stone‑age brain

The clock reads 2:13 a.m. You are exhausted. Your eyes ache, your body feels heavy, and the alarm is already beginning to loom over the night, yet your brain refuses to let go. Instead, thoughts arrive in waves. Did you send ...

Get better sleep with ultrasound patch that boosts REM rest

A University of Texas at Austin-led team of researchers has developed a noninvasive patch that boosts REM sleep in real-world trials without surgery or medication. The technology, called NEUSLeeP, is a soft, wearable device ...

Why the back? How stroking calms infants and mouse pups

Across cultures, the way we soothe an unsettled baby tends to look much the same: hold them close and gently rub their back. The act is so familiar that it's easy to forget how little is actually understood about why it works.

How skimping on sleep leads to weight gain

People who shortened their sleep by around 80 minutes a night for six weeks gained weight—1 pound on average—and were more sedentary, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons found.