Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Nature-based group activities benefit older adults living in care homes

Nature-based group activities can reduce loneliness, improve sleep and cognition, and increase a sense of connection to nature in older adults living in care homes.

7 May 2026

Treated baby wraps may reduce malaria risk in refugee infants

Malaria remains a threat to young children in refugee settlements, where displacement, temporary housing, and limited access to healthcare reduce the effectiveness of conventional prevention tools.

7 May 2026

Repeated head impacts linked to gut microbiome changes in athletes

Non-concussive head impacts-hits to the head that don't cause clinically detectable symptoms-are correlated with subsequent changes to the gut microbiome in a small sample of US collegiate football players, according to a new study published May 6, 2026, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Ahmet Ay and Kenneth Douglas Belanger of Colgate University, USA, and colleagues.

6 May 2026

First European trial tests CAR T therapy in amyloidosis patients

Three patients with light chain amyloidosis have been treated with CAR T cell therapy in the first European clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of this immunotherapy in this patient group, led by UCL and UCLH researchers.

6 May 2026

A new tool that predicts obesity-related disease risk beyond BMI

OBSCORE is a data-driven tool that identifies high-risk individuals for obesity-related diseases, enhancing treatment targeting beyond traditional BMI metrics.

5 May 2026

Study links educator confidence to improved outcomes for vulnerable youth

To better understand how young children experiencing trauma are supported in early learning settings, Adelaide University researchers examined the role of teacher self-efficacy – the confidence teachers have in their knowledge and abilities – in creating safe, responsive learning environments.

5 May 2026

Study: One in ten babies regularly falls asleep with a screen

Despite recent government guidelines that parents should avoid screen time for babies under the age of two, a new global study finds that one in ten babies now regularly fall asleep with a screen.

4 May 2026

New Canadian guidelines streamline screening for high-risk drinking

An update to Canadian guidance on screening for high-risk drinking and alcohol use provides streamlined recommendations in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) that authors hope will make it easier for health care professionals to talk to patients about alcohol use.

4 May 2026

Child health experts launch GenHEART to tackle Australia's obesity crisis

Heart health, diet, exercise and sleep will be targeted under a multi-pronged strategy by child health experts to address Australia's obesity crisis.

4 May 2026

Brain blips in epilepsy can be predicted before onset

Epilepsy is best known for seizures, but many people with the condition also experience much more frequent and subtler disruptions.

30 Apr 2026

Sickness behavior may be a coordinated whole organism immune strategy

Symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, altered sleep, and social withdrawal are often treated as inconvenient side effects of infection.

30 Apr 2026

NIH awards $44 million for landmark study on health challenges in the rural South

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) has been awarded a five-year, $44 million contract from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health for a landmark study focused on persistent health challenges in the rural South.

30 Apr 2026

Degeneration in two brain regions causes severe narcolepsy symptoms

For nearly 25 years, scientists believed they knew what caused the most severe form of narcolepsy. A new UCLA Health study now suggests they were only half correct.

30 Apr 2026

AHA calls for lifelong brain health strategy to prevent cognitive decline

The AHA scientific statement calls for a life-course approach to brain health that integrates cognitive, emotional, behavioral, vascular, environmental, inflammatory, sleep, microbiome, and social factors. It highlights how early-life exposures, mental health, pollution, chronic inflammation, poor sleep, gut dysbiosis, and socioeconomic adversity may shape brain resilience and later-life cognitive decline.

29 Apr 2026

Study reframes ADHD as disorder of energy regulation

The number of people in Europe diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has continued to rise steadily, not only among children, but increasingly among adults and women.

28 Apr 2026

Cumulative cardiovascular health from early adulthood predicts lower disease risk

The American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score is a health tool, ranging from 0 to 100, that quantifies cardiovascular health (CVH) using information from eight lifestyle and risk factors, (body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, physical activity, diet, smoking, and sleep.

28 Apr 2026

PCORI announces new funding for patient-centered clinical effectiveness research

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) today announced new funding to support patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) across a range of health conditions experienced by Americans, along with projects designed to help bring practice-changing CER results into real-world care settings.

28 Apr 2026

Study finds season of entry impacts childhood obesity outcomes

Childhood obesity remains a major health challenge, and effective interventions often depend on more than nutritional advice or exercise plans alone.

28 Apr 2026

New clinical guidelines significantly reduce opioid prescriptions after ear surgery

A new retrospective study published in OTO Open, the open-access journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), demonstrates that the Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) Opioid Prescribing for Analgesia After Common Otolaryngology Operations has had a measurable and sustained impact on prescribing practices following parotidectomy, which a surgical procedure to remove the parotid gland.

28 Apr 2026

New scientific statement defines brain health across life

Brain health isn't determined only by genetics or what happens later in life. A growing body of research shows that a range of factors-from mental health and sleep to environment, lifestyle and social conditions-play a powerful role in shaping how the brain functions and ages.

28 Apr 2026