Sleep Disorder Research News

August 12, 2026

Top Headlines

THC Medication Made PTSD Nightmares Disappear for More Than a Third of Patients

Aug. 5, 2026 A prescription form of THC helped many people with PTSD escape recurring trauma-related nightmares, with more than one-third reporting that the nightmares disappeared completely after ten weeks. The ...

Scientists Find a Simple Routine Linked to Less Pain and Depression

July 30, 2026 Keeping a regular daily schedule may help reduce pain and depression, especially among older adults with insomnia. Researchers found that consistent times for waking, eating, socializing, and sleeping were linked to better well-being regardless of ...

4 in 5 Toddler Foods Are Ultra-processed

July 28, 2026 A grocery-store audit found that many foods marketed for toddlers may be far less healthy than parents expect. Of nearly 2,800 products examined in Texas, 81% were ultra-processed, and almost half failed at least one World Health Organization ...

Sleep Apnea’s Hidden Heart Disease Trigger Found in the Gut

June 9, 2026 A surprising gut-heart connection may help explain why sleep apnea increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In mice, disabling a bile acid receptor called FXR sharply reduced plaque buildup, opening the door to potential new treatments based on ...

Repairing DNA Damage: Scientists Discover a Surprising New Benefit of Melatonin

May 30, 2026 A new study suggests melatonin supplements may help night shift workers boost their body's DNA repair processes, potentially offsetting some of the damage linked to working overnight. The findings ...

Millions Start Work Too Early. This Drug Helps Them Stay Awake

Apr. 1, 2026 Millions of people start work before sunrise—but their brains aren’t ready for it. A new clinical trial has found that the wake-promoting drug solriamfetol can significantly boost alertness in early-morning shift workers struggling with shift ...

Scientists May Have Found a Pill for Sleep Apnea

Mar. 11, 2026 A European clinical trial found that the drug sulthiame significantly reduced breathing interruptions in people with moderate to severe sleep apnea. Patients taking higher doses experienced up to 47% fewer pauses in breathing and improved oxygen ...

Insomnia and Sleep Apnea Together Dramatically Raise Heart Disease Risk

Mar. 1, 2026 Struggling to fall asleep and stopping breathing at night may be a far riskier combo than previously thought. In a study of nearly a million veterans, researchers found that having both insomnia and sleep apnea dramatically raises the risk of ...

Late Bedtimes Are Linked to Higher Heart Disease Risk

Jan. 30, 2026 People who naturally stay up late may be putting their hearts under added strain as they age. A large study tracking more than 300,000 adults found that middle-aged and older night owls had poorer overall heart health and a higher risk of heart ...

The Simplest Way Teens Can Protect Their Mental Health

Jan. 7, 2026 Teens who sleep in on weekends may be giving their mental health a boost. A new study found that young people who made up for lost weekday sleep had a significantly lower risk of depression. While consistent sleep is still best, weekend catch-up ...

Study Finds Untreated Sleep Apnea Doubles Parkinson’s Risk

Nov. 27, 2025 A massive veteran study found a strong connection between untreated sleep apnea and a higher chance of Parkinson’s. CPAP users had much lower odds of developing the condition. Researchers believe that repeated dips in oxygen during sleep may ...

Think Melatonin Is Safe? New Research Reveals a Hidden Heart Risk

Nov. 4, 2025 Long-term melatonin use for sleep problems may come with unexpected heart dangers. Researchers found that chronic users were almost twice as likely to die and 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure. Though melatonin is widely ...

Latest Headlines

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Sleepless Nights May Raise Dementia Risk by 40%, Mayo Clinic Reveals

Sep. 14, 2025 Chronic insomnia may do more than leave you groggy, it could speed up brain aging. A large Mayo Clinic study found that people with long-term sleep troubles were 40% more likely to develop dementia ...

Walk Faster, Live Longer: How Just 15 Minutes a Day Can Boost Lifespan

July 29, 2025 Fast walking, even just 15 minutes a day, can dramatically reduce the risk of death, especially from heart disease, according to a large study involving nearly 80,000 low-income and predominantly ...

Walk Faster, Age Slower: The 14-Step Boost That Builds Strength

July 28, 2025 Walking just a bit faster could be the key to aging well. Researchers found that older adults who upped their walking pace by just 14 steps per minute significantly improved their physical ...

Tai Chi, Yoga, and Jogging Rival Pills for Beating Insomnia

July 17, 2025 Yoga, Tai Chi, walking, and jogging may be some of the best natural remedies for improving sleep and tackling insomnia, according to a large analysis comparing various treatments. While cognitive ...

Can’t Sleep, Can’t Focus, Can’t Thrive? ADHD and Insomnia May Be a Vicious Cycle

July 16, 2025 Struggling to sleep might be the hidden reason why adults with ADHD traits often feel less satisfied with life. New research reveals a strong link ...

Timing, Consistency of Activity Linked to Better Fitness

May 28, 2025 The timing and consistency of your daily activity might be associated with improved cardiorespiratory fitness and walking ...

Sleep Apnea During REM Sleep Linked to Memory-Related Brain Changes

May 8, 2025 Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes lower oxygen levels during sleep, is linked to degeneration of brain regions associated with memory through damage to the brain's small blood vessels, ...

Insomnia and Sleep Medication Use Connected to Disability in Older Adults

Apr. 19, 2025 For adults over the age of 65, higher levels of both insomnia symptoms and sleep medication use were associated with higher risk of disability a year later, according to a new ...

Sleep Matters: Duration, Timing, Quality and More May Affect Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Apr. 14, 2025 Healthy sleep includes multiple components, such as number of hours of sleep per night, how long it takes to fall asleep, daytime functioning and ...

Stress, Depression Factor Into Link Between Insomnia, Heavy Drinking

Apr. 14, 2025 A new study suggests that perceived stress and depression factor into the relationship between insomnia and hazardous drinking -- perhaps not a surprise. But because the relationship between insomnia ...

Teens Sleep Longer and Perform Better When School Starts Later

Mar. 11, 2026 Teenagers naturally fall asleep later, which makes early school start times a recipe for chronic sleep deprivation. Researchers studying a Swiss high school that introduced flexible start times found ...

Morning Coffee May Protect the Heart Better Than All-Day Coffee Drinking

Jan. 7, 2025 People who drink coffee in the morning have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a lower overall mortality risk compared to all-day coffee drinkers, according to new ...

College Students' Insomnia Linked More Strongly With Loneliness Than Screen Time

Dec. 4, 2024 Being lonely is a bigger hurdle to a good night's sleep for college students than too much time at a computer or other electronic screen, a new study ...

Peer Support Could Help Millions With Sleep Apnea Slumber Easier, Study Says

Dec. 4, 2024 Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, therapy can improve the lives of people with obstructive sleep apnea, but nearly half of adults with CPAP machines fail to adhere to a regular regimen of ...

Sleep Apnea Contributes to Dementia in Older Adults, Especially Women

Oct. 31, 2024 Sleep apnea, a common yet underdiagnosed sleep disorder, contributes to the development of dementia among adults -- particularly women, a new study suggests. At every age level, women with known or ...

Obstructive Sleep Apnea May Increase Risk of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Sep. 25, 2024 Intermittent hypoxia caused by obstructive sleep apnea increased the susceptibility of mice to develop abdominal aortic aneurysms, researchers report in a new ...

Versatile Knee Exo for Safer Lifting

Sep. 18, 2024 A set of knee exoskeletons, built with commercially available knee braces and drone motors, has been shown to help counteract fatigue in lifting and carrying tasks. They helped users maintain better ...

Keep Devices out of Bed for Better Sleep

Sep. 3, 2024 Despite what we've been led to believe, the timing of evening screen use, rather than the activity itself, negatively impacts youth sleep, a new study has ...

Less Sleep and Later Bedtime in Childhood Linked to Future Substance Use

Aug. 13, 2024 Adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they had later bedtimes and slept fewer hours during the night during childhood and adolescence, according to a ...

The Unintended Consequences of Success Against Malaria

July 23, 2024 The insecticide-treated bed nets and insecticide sprays that were so effective in preventing mosquito bites -- and therefore malaria -- are increasingly viewed as the causes of household pest ...

How Does the Brain Respond to Sleep Apnea?

July 23, 2024 Nearly 40 million adults in the U.S. have sleep apnea, and more than 30 million of them use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine while sleeping. However, the machines tend to be ...

Bedtime Battles: 1 in 4 Parents Say Their Child Can't Go to Sleep Because They're Worried or Anxious

June 17, 2024 One in four parents describe getting their young child to bed as difficult -- and these parents are less likely to have a bedtime routine, more likely to leave on a video or TV show, and more likely ...

Study Links Sleep Apnea Treatment and Happier, Healthier Relationships

May 30, 2024 A new study demonstrates that when individuals with obstructive sleep apnea use their positive airway pressure machine more regularly, it benefits their relationship with their ...

Binge-Eating Disorder Not as Transient as Previously Thought

May 28, 2024 New research finds that binge-eating disorder symptoms may persist longer than once believed, finding 61 percent and 45 percent of individuals still experienced binge-eating disorder 2.5 and 5 years ...

Study Links Sleep Apnea Severity During REM Stage to Verbal Memory Decline

May 14, 2024 A research team has revealed the link between the frequency of sleep apnea events during the rapid-eye-movement stage and the severity of verbal memory impairment in older adults at risk for ...

Disparities in Sleep Health and Insomnia May Begin at a Young Age

Apr. 8, 2024 Children and teens from racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by persistent insomnia symptoms that begin in childhood and continue through young adulthood, according to a ...

Hope for Treating Sleep Disorders, No Pills Required

Mar. 13, 2024 Are sleeping pills the only solution for insomnia? Not according to a researcher who says that using self-guided digital behavioral therapy is an alternative solution that should be ...

'Curved' Walking and a Depth Camera: New Tool Detects Early Cognitive Decline

Mar. 12, 2024 Gait impairments often are prevalent in the early stages of cognitive decline. Researchers quantitatively compared straight walking and curved walking -- a more natural yet complex activity -- in ...

Robotic Hip Exoskeleton Shows Promise for Helping Stroke Patients Regain Their Stride

Mar. 4, 2024 More than 80% of stroke survivors experience walking difficulty, significantly impacting their daily lives, independence, and overall quality of life. Now, new research pushes forward the bounds of ...

Sleep Apnea Symptoms Linked to Memory and Thinking Problems

Mar. 4, 2024 People who experience sleep apnea may be more likely to also have memory or thinking problems, according to a preliminary study. The study shows a positive association but did not determine whether ...