Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Multiple concussions linked to slightly worse health in former college athletes

In former college athletes, having had three or more concussions was associated with slightly worse physical, mental, behavioral and cognitive health five years after graduation, according to an article published March 11, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Mar 2026

Social isolation and loneliness raise cognitive decline risk in perimenopausal women

The relationship between social connections and cognitive abilities is a complex one, particularly during the perimenopausal period when women transition from the reproductive period to menopause.

11 Mar 2026

ADHD prescriptions surged during the COVID-19 pandemic

A study reveals COVID-19 reshaped stimulant prescribing patterns in Ontario, highlighting increased ADHD diagnoses and concerns over treatment appropriateness.

11 Mar 2026

New review calls for biologically grounded approach to psychiatric diagnosis

A comprehensive invited review published today in Brain Medicine confronts one of the most persistent paradoxes in modern medicine: psychiatry remains the only major clinical discipline that diagnoses complex illness primarily through conversation and symptom checklists, while fields such as oncology and cardiology long ago embraced laboratory markers, imaging, and molecular profiling.

10 Mar 2026

Using a smartwatch to detect changes in brain health

Can smartphones or smartwatches help detect early signs of neurological or mental illness? Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) monitored a group of participants wearing connected devices, and used artificial intelligence to analyze data such as heart rate, physical activity, sleep and air pollution.

10 Mar 2026

Postbiotics may help treat PCOS by restoring microbiome balance

Emerging studies suggest postbiotics could aid PCOS management by restoring gut microbiome balance and enhancing insulin sensitivity and hormonal regulation.

10 Mar 2026

More kids are in ERs for tooth pain. Trump cuts and RFK Jr.’s anti-fluoride fight aren’t helping.

Eight-year-old Jonah woke up one May morning with a swollen face and a toothache. He refused the pain medication that his mom, Geneva Reynolds, tried to give him. He didn't sleep or eat and cried constantly.

10 Mar 2026

Sleep and diet emerge as key drivers of immunome variation

Immunome (immune cells and functions) variations are closely related to human health. Various exposures, including the external environment and personal lifestyles, are important factors affecting the immune system.

9 Mar 2026

Largest genetic study classifies 14 psychiatric disorders into five major groups

Although mental disorders have multifactorial causes, genetics can explain some of them, yet this field remains largely unexplored in terms of guiding diagnoses and treatments.

9 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

Redefining the "aging brain" through diverse data

Age is more than just one number. While neuroscientists used to think of cognitive aging as a single trendline, they now realize that vast individual differences require a more predictive and personalized approach. As they uncover more factors that affect cognition over time, they are realizing that modeling the aging brain requires more diverse data than traditionally captured.

9 Mar 2026

Can aging bring improvement instead of decline? Long-term study says yes

A large longitudinal study of U.S. adults found that many older people improve in cognitive function or walking speed over time, challenging the idea that aging inevitably leads to decline. Positive beliefs about aging were associated with higher odds of improvement in both cognitive and physical health.

8 Mar 2026

Post amputation pain differs with movement and prosthetic type

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz have identified a critical gap in how post-amputation pain is evaluated and treated.

6 Mar 2026

Buck Institute launches a new initiative to measure and extend human healthspan

The Buck Institute for Research on Aging today announced the launch of Healthspan Horizons, a new initiative designed to address one of the most urgent challenges in modern medicine: how to measure, understand, and extend healthspan-the years of life spent in good health.

6 Mar 2026

Weekend lie-ins may boost insulin sensitivity, but too much may backfire

This study explores the relationship between sleep patterns and insulin sensitivity, emphasizing the impact of weekday sleep and weekend catch-up on metabolism.

6 Mar 2026

Improving biological age gap may help protect long-term brain health

Improving the gap between your biological age and your chronological age is associated with a lower risk of stroke and improvements in signs of damage in the brain, according to a preliminary study released March 5, 2026, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 78th Annual Meeting taking place April 18-22, 2026, in Chicago and online.

5 Mar 2026

Researchers propose that Parkinson’s disease may start in the gut, not the brain

A perspective in The Journal of Clinical Investigation argues that environmental exposures may interact with the gut microbiome and intestinal barrier to trigger biological processes linked to Parkinson’s disease. The authors propose that cumulative environmental stressors can erode host resilience, promoting α-synuclein pathology, immune activation, and neurodegeneration.

5 Mar 2026

Study identifies high prevalence of hidden physical aggression toward young infants

About one in 20 infants worldwide is subjected to physical abuse by a caregiver in their first two years of life.

5 Mar 2026

Neural circuit mechanisms explain how chronic sleep loss disrupts social memory

Social memory—the ability to recognize familiar individuals and distinguish them from strangers—is fundamental to social cognition.

5 Mar 2026

Wearable sensors as a tool for MS monitoring

Wearable sensors may help identify people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are more likely to have worsening disability and loss of brain volume, according to a study published on March 4th, 2026, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Mar 2026