Sleep

Sleep is a physiological behavior that is common in all animal species. It forms around one third of a human life. It is not known clearly the exact functions of sleep but it seems to be essential for survival as prolonged sleep deprivation leads to severe physical impairment followed by cognitive loss and eventually death.

How Morning Routines Influence Cognitive Performance, Mood, and Circadian Rhythm

How simple, evidence-based morning habits recalibrate the circadian system to sharpen cognition, stabilize mood, and support long-term mental health.

Causes of Nocturnal Awakenings

Ghrelin and Sleep

Function of Sleep

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD) Management

Types of Sleep Disorders

Effect of Sleep on Your Emotions

Neuroscience of Sleep

Health Effects of Poor Sleep - Quantity and Quality

Regulation of Sleep

Nutritional Effects on Sleep

What is the Role of Melatonin in Sleep Regulation?

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What is Sleep Regression?

Shift Work Sleep Disorder

Promoting Sounder Sleep in Older Adults

Stages of Sleep

What is the Circadian Rhythm?

How Much Sleep do People Need?

Could Humans Ever Hibernate?

How Can Mindfulness Meditation Improve Sleep?

The Health Risks of Oversleeping

Can too much sleep be dangerous?

Sleep Deprivation - Inadequate Quantity of Sleep

Hypnotics and Sleep

Role of Sleep in Memory Consolidation

How Does Sleep Affect Your Immunity?

A Guide to Healthy Sleep Positions

Causes of Sleep Deprivation

Does Your Alarm Sound Affect Your Mood?

Brain Activity During Sleep

A Guide to Managing Sleep Disorders

What is Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD)?

Is Daytime Napping in Adults Good or Bad?

Stimulants and Sleep

Spoon Test for Sleep Deprivation

Difference Between Nightmares and Night Terrors

Why Do We Sleep?

What is Sleep?

Sleep Hygiene

Tips on Getting to Sleep

What Does Polysomnography Involve?

Management of Sleep Deprivation

How Does Pain Affect Your Sleep?

Why Do We Dream?

How Long Should My Teenager Sleep For?

How to Catch up on Lost Sleep

How Can Sleep Affect Men's Health?

Sleep and Hormones

The Importance of Having a Good Night’s Sleep

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep and Yoga

Sleep Onset Mechanics: Understanding the Transition from Wakefulness to Slumber

How Long should my Child Sleep for?

REM Sleep Activity

The DEC2 Gene and Sleep

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders

Importance of Sleep

History of Sleep

Latest Sleep News and Research

Morning speech therapy benefits young people with childhood apraxia

For young people with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), a disorder that affects the brain's ability to plan and coordinate the movements needed for speech, speech difficulties can persist well beyond childhood.

16 Sep 2026

Lung Facts updated with latest evidence on respiratory disease across 21 countries

The International Respiratory Coalition (IRC) has updated its Lung Facts platform with the latest evidence on the burden of respiratory disease across 21 countries, providing policymakers, clinicians and patient advocates with updated data to drive national-level policy action on lung health.

16 Sep 2026

Exercise usually helps the brain. During a 15-day fast, the story was different

In a 28-day controlled study of 22 healthy adults, 15 days of complete fasting produced a glucose-to-ketone metabolic shift and selectively affected attention and implicit learning while time perception remained relatively stable. Moderate-intensity exercise during early fasting was associated with poorer performance on some learning measures, while fasting also increased sleepiness and reduced calmness at some time points.

15 Sep 2026

Living in disadvantaged neighborhoods linked to adverse brain health

In a study analyzing nearly 3,000 brain MRI exams, researchers found that living in highly disadvantaged neighborhoods was associated with adverse brain health.

15 Sep 2026

Reading for pleasure linked to better mental health and greater empathy

Reading for pleasure – from tucking into a Jane Austen classic to devouring a Heartstopper graphic novel – is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, say researchers.

15 Sep 2026

Cardiovascular disease surpasses cancer as top killer of Hispanic populations in the U.S.

Cardiovascular disease has surpassed cancer as the leading cause of death among Hispanic adults in the U.S., driven by rising rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other risk factors that often begin earlier in life for Hispanic people.

15 Sep 2026

Nighttime coughing could be due to air pollution levels, research suggests

Has your partner ever woken you up at night with their coughing? Has your coughing ever woken them up? New research suggests it could be due to air pollution levels in your area, even if those levels are low.

15 Sep 2026

Your voice could add something aging blood tests and scans miss

Researchers found that a standardized 30-second voice recording could predict chronological age with mean absolute errors of 3.95 years in females and 4.41 years in males. The resulting Voice Age measure also captured physiological information partly distinct from molecular, imaging, sleep, and lifestyle-based aging clocks, supporting its potential as a functional aging biomarker.

15 Sep 2026

Stricter glucose control may affect quality of life in people living with diabetes

New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) shows that, in people living with diabetes (type 1 or 2) using data from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices paired with daily quality-of-life ratings, days with more widely fluctuating glucose readings (while still within safe limits) are followed by days with a better quality life compared to days with more stricter control– suggesting the burden of that stricter control could be preventing those individuals with stricter control from enjoying various activities.

11 Sep 2026

Rare cortical neurons actively promote the transition into sleep

What makes the brain fall asleep? For nearly a century, scientists have looked to structures deep within the brain for the answer.

11 Sep 2026

Finnish study finds working from home increases sedentary behavior

According to a Finnish study, people sleep slightly longer when they work from home. However, they also sit more and are less physically active than on days when they work in the office.

11 Sep 2026

Nighttime light exposure may alter heart structure and function

Exposure to light during the nighttime is linked to important and potentially harmful changes to the structure and function of the heart, according to a study of more than 11,000 people published in the European Heart Journal today (Thursday).

10 Sep 2026

Tizanidine looked promising early in a migraine trial, but the benefit did not last

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that low-dose tizanidine did not provide sustained reductions in headache burden over 12 weeks in people with episodic migraine, despite a transient improvement with the 1 mg dose at week 4. Exploratory analyses suggested that smoking and sex may influence tizanidine exposure, while sex-specific efficacy signals remained hypothesis-generating and require confirmation.

10 Sep 2026

Pink noise boosts brain waste clearance during sleep

During the day, waste products such as lactic acid and worn-out proteins build up in the brain. When we sleep at night, waves of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) help to wash away this waste, keeping the brain healthy.

9 Sep 2026

New AI model forecasts glucose changes in type 1 diabetes patients

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases, affecting around 66 million adults in Europe - a figure projected to rise to more than 72 million by 2050.

9 Sep 2026

Why a shorter eating window may not mean better metabolic health

In a nationally representative cross-sectional study of 16,973 Korean adults, researchers identified three distinct eating patterns based on the timing and distribution of daily energy intake. Eating later within a shorter daily window was associated with higher odds of metabolic syndrome, elevated blood pressure, triglycerides, and fasting glucose, while frequent grazing showed a mixed metabolic profile.

8 Sep 2026

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia may slow biological aging in older adults

A new UCLA Health study found that treatment of insomnia using cognitive behavioral therapy slowed the pace of biological aging in older adults.

8 Sep 2026

New biologic therapy significantly reduces COPD flare-ups in trials

Two international clinical trials led in part by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that the investigational biologic therapy tozorakimab significantly reduced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) flare-ups among patients already receiving standard treatment for the disease compared to patients only receiving standard treatment.

8 Sep 2026

Working shifts may change more than your sleep schedule

A cross-sectional analysis of 1,814 Japanese workers found that shift work was associated with lower raw seafood intake and shorter sleep patterns in both sexes, while female shift workers also consumed less milk and dairy products. Total energy intake was similar between work groups, but male shift workers were more likely to consider preference and convenience when choosing foods, highlighting potentially important differences in dietary quality and lifestyle rather than calorie intake.

8 Sep 2026

A common drink pattern was linked to less sleep and more fatigue in soldiers

A cross-sectional study of 1,155 active-duty Spanish Army personnel identified three distinct co-consumption profiles based on the frequency of caffeinated beverage, energy drink, and sugar-sweetened beverage use. Compared with the lower-frequency profile, the higher-frequency profile was associated with about 14 minutes less sleep per night, lower sleep efficiency, and greater habitual physical fatigue, although the study cannot establish causality or quantify caffeine or sugar exposure.

8 Sep 2026