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.

What is Sleep?

Stages of Sleep

Ghrelin and Sleep

What is Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD)?

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders

Could Humans Ever Hibernate?

Function of Sleep

Types of Sleep Disorders

How Does Sleep Affect Your Immunity?

Role of Sleep in Memory Consolidation

Health Effects of Poor Sleep - Quantity and Quality

Importance of Sleep

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How to Catch up on Lost Sleep

What is Sleep Regression?

Effect of Sleep on Your Emotions

Does Your Alarm Sound Affect Your Mood?

Hypnotics and Sleep

How Can Sleep Affect Men's Health?

Stimulants and Sleep

The Importance of Having a Good Night’s Sleep

History of Sleep

How Long should my Child Sleep for?

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

What Does Polysomnography Involve?

Difference Between Nightmares and Night Terrors

A Guide to Healthy Sleep Positions

Tips on Getting to Sleep

Management of Sleep Deprivation

Shift Work Sleep Disorder

Regulation of Sleep

The DEC2 Gene and Sleep

Sleep and Hormones

Sleep Deprivation - Inadequate Quantity of Sleep

How Does Pain Affect Your Sleep?

Is Daytime Napping in Adults Good or Bad?

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD) Management

How Long Should My Teenager Sleep For?

Spoon Test for Sleep Deprivation

What is the Circadian Rhythm?

Causes of Sleep Deprivation

The Health Risks of Oversleeping

Neuroscience of Sleep

What is the Role of Melatonin in Sleep Regulation?

Brain Activity During Sleep

How Can Mindfulness Meditation Improve Sleep?

Causes of Nocturnal Awakenings

Promoting Sounder Sleep in Older Adults

How Much Sleep do People Need?

Why Do We Sleep?

Why Do We Dream?

REM Sleep Activity

Sleep Onset Mechanics: Understanding the Transition from Wakefulness to Slumber

Nutritional Effects on Sleep

A Guide to Managing Sleep Disorders

Sleep and Yoga

Can too much sleep be dangerous?

Sleep Hygiene

Latest Sleep News and Research

Raising the drinking age cuts teen drinking and boosts test scores

Stricter minimum legal drinking age laws in Spain are linked to reduced adolescent alcohol use and better academic outcomes, benefiting student well-being.

19 Dec 2025

Everyday light exposure shapes how alert and mentally sharp we feel outside the lab

This real-world study shows that recent and habitual light exposure are linked to lower subjective sleepiness and faster reaction times in daily life. Brighter and more stable daytime light patterns were associated with better performance on specific cognitive tasks, independent of sleep and time of day.

18 Dec 2025

Endurance athletes experience significant training challenges during menopause

A new study finds menopause symptoms to be very frequently reported by female endurance athletes, with many perceiving a negative effect on their training and performance.

18 Dec 2025

Extra sleep after the autumn clock change linked to reduced demand for NHS health services

The week after the autumn clock change is associated with a reduction in demand for NHS services for sleep disorders, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, and psychiatric conditions in England, finds a study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

18 Dec 2025

Washington’s homeless hide in plain sight, growing sicker and costing taxpayers more

Every night, Abdullah Ibrahim retreats from the streets into a wooded stretch along the Potomac River.

18 Dec 2025

Cannabis use alters sleep stages in people with chronic pain

The most frequently reported reasons for medicinal cannabis use are for pain relief and improvements in sleep.

17 Dec 2025

ECG-based AI model doubles early liver disease diagnoses

As rates of obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea increase, cases of advanced chronic liver disease and resulting liver scarring or cirrhosis also are rising. Patients often are diagnosed based on symptoms, such as gastrointestinal bleeding, fluid retention or jaundice, which happen when liver disease has progressed to a late stage.

17 Dec 2025

Coordinated housing and health care models better serve homeless populations

Organizations aiming to help homeless people with either housing or health care can be more effective when they form partnerships with other service groups, a Rutgers study has found.

17 Dec 2025

Strong heart health lowers long-term death risk in cancer survivors

Higher Life’s Simple 7 cardiovascular health scores were associated with lower long-term all-cause and cancer mortality in cancer survivors from a large Italian cohort. Inflammation, resting heart rate, and vitamin D statistically explained a substantial share of these associations, supporting shared cardiometabolic pathways across cancer and cardiovascular disease.

17 Dec 2025

Confusing symptom questionnaires could undermine mental health diagnosis and treatment

Imagine sitting down for an appointment with a therapist – or any care provider. Perhaps it's the first time you've seen this provider, or the first time in a while. You'll likely need to fill out a form with a set of questions to ensure they know why you're there or how you're doing.

17 Dec 2025

Study examines fairness of oxygen desaturation thresholds in sleep apnea diagnosis

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder in the U.S. affecting tens of millions, with estimates ranging from 25 to more than 80 million adults.

17 Dec 2025

Poor housing conditions harm children’s school attendance and grades

Children living in substandard housing in England miss 15 more school days and achieve worse test scores in English and maths than their peers living in better quality housing, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

16 Dec 2025

Injury burden is higher during menstruation in professional female footballers

The menstrual cycle is a key physiological process in women: it impacts performance, neuromuscular control, metabolism, and immune response.

16 Dec 2025

Gut bacteria patterns differ in autism and siblings and link to social symptoms

This sibling-controlled East Asian study found that autistic individuals, their unaffected siblings, and typically developing controls differ in gut microbiota diversity and composition, with the clearest separation between autism and typical development. Specific taxa, particularly the butyrate-producing genus Anaerostipes, were modestly associated with social communication and internalising symptoms, supporting a gut–behaviour link without implying causality.

15 Dec 2025

Smartwatch alerts help parents manage children's tantrums

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a smartwatch-based alert system that signals parents at the earliest signs of a tantrum in children with emotional and behavioral disorders - prompting them to intervene before it intensifies.

15 Dec 2025

Six midlife depressive symptoms linked to dementia decades later

Six particular depressive symptoms when experienced in midlife predict dementia risk more than two decades later, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

15 Dec 2025

Half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients developed long COVID

Research from Thailand shows high long COVID prevalence in hospitalized patients, with severe illness increasing risk and vaccination offering protection.

15 Dec 2025

Exploring melatonin therapeutic potential in systemic lupus erythematosus

A recent review published in Current Molecular Pharmacology explores the therapeutic potential of melatonin in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a complex autoimmune disease affecting multiple organs.

12 Dec 2025

Acupuncture improves breast cancer survivors' perceived cognitive impairment

Real and sham acupuncture were more effective at improving breast cancer survivors' perceived cognitive impairment compared with usual care, while real acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture in improving objective cognitive function, according to results from the randomized ENHANCE phase II clinical trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 9-12, 2025.

12 Dec 2025

Machine learning reveals dental caries heterogeneity in NHANES

A new article published in the Journal of Dental Research explores the development an integrated data-cleaning and subtype discovery pipeline using unsupervised machine learning for comprehensive analysis and visualization of data patterns in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database.

11 Dec 2025