Jet Lag News and Research

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Jet lag, medically referred to as "desynchronosis," is a physiological condition which is a consequence of alterations to circadian rhythms; it is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

BD² awards millions to study bipolar disorder mood changes

Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD²) today announced its fourth round of Discovery Research grants, totaling more than $13 million, focused on the biological mechanisms of intense mood changes, a hallmark of bipolar disorder.

22 Sep 2026

Your weekend meal schedule may matter more than you think

In a prospective analysis of 104,806 adults from the NutriNet-Santé cohort, greater differences in meal timing between weekdays and weekends were associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease in men over a median 8.1 years. The associations were strongest when weekend eating shifted earlier, while delayed weekend eating was linked specifically to coronary heart disease, with no association detected for cerebrovascular disease.

2 Sep 2026

Jet lag may disrupt athletes' gut microbiome and slow recovery

The interplay between jet lag and gut microbiome affects athlete performance. Strategies to manage these disruptions are crucial but not yet fully established.

30 Jul 2026

Daily routines reduce pain and depression in older adults

University of Missouri researchers have identified a simple, effective way to improve quality of life. A new study found that maintaining a consistent daily routine can reduce physical pain and ease symptoms of depression, demonstrating how everyday habits can have a meaningful impact on well-being, particularly for older adults with insomnia.

28 Jul 2026

Time zone changes disrupt vital gut bacteria during travel

A dream holiday, an exotic destination, a long-haul flight, and finally some well-deserved rest. The problem is that many travelers arrive at their destination only to spend the first days of their vacation struggling with fatigue, sleep disturbances, low energy levels, and digestive issues.

23 Jul 2026

Irregular sleep patterns reduce cognitive performance in preschool children

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that irregular sleep - including variability in sleep timing and duration - was associated with lower receptive vocabulary and visuospatial memory scores in preschool-age children, even after accounting for total sleep duration.

4 Jun 2026

Teen insomnia symptoms linked to hospitalizations in young adulthood

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that poorer sleep health according to wrist actigraphy and insomnia symptoms during adolescence predicted a higher likelihood of an overnight hospital stay during young adulthood around seven years later, even after accounting for adolescent hospitalizations and sleep health.

4 Jun 2026

Maternal signals help synchronize babies’ circadian rhythms before birth

Humans and most other organisms have internal biological clocks that track the daily cycle of sunrise and sunset. These clocks help time our sleep, metabolism and other essential body functions over the course of a day, creating daily patterns called circadian rhythms.

11 Apr 2026

Study uncovers how bacterial circadian clocks control gene expression

Our circadian clocks play a crucial role in our health and well-being, keeping our 24-hour biological cycles in sync with light and dark exposure.

10 Feb 2026

New compound advances body clock independent of dosing time

A collaborative team including Emeritus Professor Tei H. (Kanazawa University), Associate Professor Takahata Y. (Osaka University), Professor Numano R. (Toyohashi University of Technology), and Associate Professor Uriu K. (Institute of Science Tokyo) discovered that Mic-628 selectively induces the mammalian clock gene Per1.

4 Feb 2026

Newly discovered compound can advance the body's internal clock

A Japanese research team has discovered a new compound that can advance the body's internal clock—offering hope for faster recovery from jet lag and better adaptation to night-shift work.

28 Jan 2026

How modern lifestyles reprogram the gut microbiome and shape disease risk

Modern lifestyle factors such as circadian disruption, sleep deprivation, stress, and exercise reshape the gut bacteriome and its metabolic outputs. These microbiome changes are linked to immune, metabolic, and cancer-related pathways, largely through evidence from animal models and observational human studies.

27 Jan 2026

Circadian rhythms can influence outcomes related to influenza infections

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that circadian rhythms – the biological clocks of the body – can influence outcomes related to influenza infections, providing clinicians with insight about how biological processes can be used to optimize care for critically ill patients with respiratory viral infections.

1 Dec 2025

How gut microbes shape sleep: New review reveals microbiome clues to insomnia and apnea

A new Brain Medicine review maps how gut microbes influence sleep disorders, from insomnia and sleep apnea to circadian disruption, via bile acids, neurotransmitters, and immune pathways. The findings highlight gut-driven targets for improving sleep quality through diet, probiotics, and microbiome modulation.

5 Nov 2025

New review illuminates the intricate connections between gut microbiota and sleep regulation

A comprehensive review published today in Brain Medicine illuminates the intricate connections between gut microbiota and sleep regulation, establishing the microbiota-gut-brain axis as a critical pathway in understanding and potentially treating sleep disorders.

4 Nov 2025

Long-term use of melatonin supplements linked to higher risk of heart failure and death

Long-term use of melatonin supplements, often used to promote sleep and address insomnia, was associated with a higher risk of heart failure diagnosis, heart failure hospitalization and death from any cause in chronic insomnia, according to a preliminary study to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025.

3 Nov 2025

Aligning your body clock may protect your heart and metabolism, says AHA

A new American Heart Association scientific statement highlights how maintaining circadian health through regular sleep, light exposure, meal timing, and exercise may reduce cardiometabolic disease risk. Disrupting these daily rhythms can impair glucose regulation, blood pressure, and cardiovascular function.

29 Oct 2025

Circadian rhythm disruptions may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

As modern lifestyles increasingly challenge the body's natural circadian rhythm, the American Heart Association is spotlighting the potential health consequences of regular disruptions to our body's internal clock with a new scientific statement published today in its flagship journal Circulation.

28 Oct 2025

Dietary fat dictates seasonal eating rhythms, study finds

A new study from UC San Francisco shows that our natural eating patterns are more closely tied to seasonal rhythms than previously thought.

23 Oct 2025

How circadian biology shapes intestinal regeneration and health

The interplay between the circadian clock, intestinal stem cell niche, and epithelial cell fate is shaping our understanding of how gut homeostasis and cellular regeneration are regulated.

14 Aug 2025