Insomnia News and Research

Latest Insomnia News and Research

Online friendships with strangers linked to greater adult loneliness

A first-of-its-kind study of U.S. adults suggests that all of those strangers you're friends with on social media are not helping you to feel less lonely.

8 May 2026

Study finds no psychiatric risk from prenatal sedatives

A large South Korean study published by The BMJ today finds no increased risk of psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD and autism, in children whose mothers used sedative drugs (benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics) during pregnancy.

29 Apr 2026

GP nurses could deliver effective sleep treatments

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.

22 Apr 2026

New guideline recommends combined therapies for chronic insomnia treatment

A new clinical practice guideline from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine provides evidence‑based recommendations on the combined use of behavioral‑psychological and pharmacological therapies to treat chronic insomnia disorder in adults.

21 Apr 2026

Ibuprofen shown to improve cognitive function in patients undergoing chemotherapy

Researchers have already shown that mild to moderate exercise can reduce "chemo brain," and a new study suggests that a low dose of an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, ibuprofen, can also achieve positive results for cancer patients.

21 Apr 2026

Behavioral design project aims to reduce benzodiazepine overuse

The widespread use of benzodiazepines - better known as sleeping pills or anxiety medication - among the population has become a serious public health issue.

14 Apr 2026

A new model to break the cycle of chronic nightmares in children

The DARC-NESS model targets chronic nightmares in youth, promoting confidence and coping strategies to restore healthy sleep patterns and mental well-being.

14 Apr 2026

DARC-NESS model offers insights into persistent nightmares in children

Recently published 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.

9 Apr 2026

Immigrant seniors lose Medicare coverage despite paying for it

Rosa María Carranza leaned forward to hold a 3-year-old's back as the girl climbed a rock in the forested hills of northeast Oakland.

6 Apr 2026

Cancer-fighting antibodies may trigger autoimmune brain disorders

Consider two seemingly unrelated medical puzzles. First: Every day, our bodies produce hundreds of billions of new cells, many of which are mutated.

25 Mar 2026

Sleep apps help you track sleep, but can they also increase anxiety?

Sleep apps offer data-driven insights for better rest, but may increase anxiety in some users. Study reveals varied effects based on demographics and insomnia.

25 Mar 2026

Largest review finds no mental health benefits of medicinal cannabis

A landmark Lancet Psychiatry paper published today – the largest-ever review of the safety and efficacy of cannabinoids across a range of mental health conditions – found no evidence that medicinal cannabis is effective in treating anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

16 Mar 2026

Study identifies seven distinct types of hyperarousal across mental disorders

Hyperarousal plays an important role in mental disorders. It influences the severity of insomnia, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and ADHD.

12 Mar 2026

Japanese study evaluates sleep architecture and safety of common insomnia drugs

OSA is a common sleep disorder characterized by oxygen desaturation due to repeated airway collapse during sleep.

12 Mar 2026

Spring fatigue is a cultural rather than biological phenomenon

When the days start to get longer again, Dr Christine Blume's phone rings more often. That's because journalists want to ask the sleep researcher what spring fatigue is all about.

9 Mar 2026

High use of anticholinergic drugs linked to increased cardiovascular disease risk

People who use drugs with anticholinergic effects, including certain antidepressants, drugs for urinary incontinence and common antihistamines, are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

5 Mar 2026

High-dose curcumin fails to produce lasting gut-microbiome changes in IBD patients

In an open-label study of 29 men, including patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease in remission, 6 g per day of curcumin for eight weeks led to modest, transient shifts in gut microbiota composition without sustained restructuring. Despite achieving high fecal concentrations and minimal systemic bioavailability, curcumin did not produce durable microbiome changes, and disease activity scores remained stable.

2 Mar 2026

COVID-19 ARDS survivors face lasting disability and high late mortality, researchers report

In this single-center ambispective cohort of 283 Polish patients with COVID-19–related ARDS requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, cumulative mortality reached 44.5% at four years after ICU admission. Among survivors, substantial proportions reported persistent functional limitations, insomnia, fatigue, and reduced quality-adjusted life years.

2 Mar 2026

Neuroticism may influence adolescents' well-being through sleep disruption and reduced mindfulness

Up to 75% of adolescents experience sleep-related problems, including insufficient duration and poor sleep quality.

24 Feb 2026

Frontline healthcare workers experienced highest insomnia rates during and after pandemic

An analysis co-led by Josefa A. Antón Ruiz, a researcher from the Department of Health Psychology at the University of Alicante (UA), reveals that 43.5% of healthcare professionals experienced clinically significant symptoms of insomnia during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

23 Feb 2026