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.

Brain Activity During Sleep

Could Humans Ever Hibernate?

Management of Sleep Deprivation

Shift Work Sleep Disorder

Regulation of Sleep

Effect of Sleep on Your Emotions

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD) Management

How Does Pain Affect Your Sleep?

Role of Sleep in Memory Consolidation

Difference Between Nightmares and Night Terrors

Why Do We Sleep?

See more featured articles »

Is Daytime Napping in Adults Good or Bad?

Importance of Sleep

How Can Sleep Affect Men's Health?

What Does Polysomnography Involve?

Does Your Alarm Sound Affect Your Mood?

Promoting Sounder Sleep in Older Adults

Sleep Hygiene

Spoon Test for Sleep Deprivation

How to Catch up on Lost Sleep

Ghrelin and Sleep

Neuroscience of Sleep

What is Sleep Regression?

Can too much sleep be dangerous?

The DEC2 Gene and Sleep

Types of Sleep Disorders

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Causes of Nocturnal Awakenings

Tips on Getting to Sleep

How Long Should My Teenager Sleep For?

A Guide to Healthy Sleep Positions

A Guide to Managing Sleep Disorders

History of Sleep

What is the Role of Melatonin in Sleep Regulation?

How Long should my Child Sleep for?

Stimulants and Sleep

The Importance of Having a Good Night’s Sleep

Nutritional Effects on Sleep

Sleep and Hormones

REM Sleep Activity

Causes of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep Deprivation - Inadequate Quantity of Sleep

Sleep and Yoga

What is the Circadian Rhythm?

How Does Sleep Affect Your Immunity?

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders

Health Effects of Poor Sleep - Quantity and Quality

Function of Sleep

What is Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD)?

Why Do We Dream?

Hypnotics and Sleep

The Health Risks of Oversleeping

What is Sleep?

Sleep Onset Mechanics: Understanding the Transition from Wakefulness to Slumber

How Can Mindfulness Meditation Improve Sleep?

Stages of Sleep

How Much Sleep do People Need?

Latest Sleep News and Research

Irregular sleep patterns reduce cognitive performance in preschool children

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that irregular sleep - including variability in sleep timing and duration - was associated with lower receptive vocabulary and visuospatial memory scores in preschool-age children, even after accounting for total sleep duration.

4 Jun 2026

Teen insomnia symptoms linked to hospitalizations in young adulthood

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that poorer sleep health according to wrist actigraphy and insomnia symptoms during adolescence predicted a higher likelihood of an overnight hospital stay during young adulthood around seven years later, even after accounting for adolescent hospitalizations and sleep health.

4 Jun 2026

Study reveals the first direct saliva biomarkers of sleep loss

Sleep loss dulls alertness and coordination, and it can produce effects similar to severe intoxication, making actions like driving incredibly risky. But there's no clinical test for determining when someone is dangerously sleep deprived.

4 Jun 2026

Researchers urge nationwide safety campaign for baby sling and carrier use

The study by leading baby sleep experts at Durham University, UK, calls for a UK-wide campaign to ensure parents are directed to trusted sources of guidance and specialist advice, before or at the point of purchase.

4 Jun 2026

Exercise during pregnancy links to lower infant BMI at one year

Supervised exercise during pregnancy may lower infant BMI and reduce obesity risk, highlighting the impact of maternal health on early growth trajectories.

4 Jun 2026

Antidepressant drugs detected at potentially harmful levels in waterways

Depression, anxiety and sleep disorders are among the conditions often treated with antidepressant drugs. Yet, up to 90% of these drugs pass through the body into wastewater.

3 Jun 2026

Study discovers memory switchboard that protects past knowledge

The brain may reuse some cells to store many different memories without mixing them up with or erasing older memories, a new study in mice suggests.

3 Jun 2026

GLP-1 therapy linked to slower biological aging processes

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medications have gained widespread attention for effectively treating obesity, lowering blood sugar and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

2 Jun 2026

Subjective aging predicts poorer sleep health and daytime impairment

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that adults who feel older than their chronological age reported worse sleep outcomes, including more insomnia symptoms, greater sleep-related impairment, and lower sleep regularity, with those sleep outcomes in turn associated with poorer self-reported physical health.

2 Jun 2026

Late sleepers experience higher anxiety driven by severe nocturnal loneliness

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that individuals with an evening chronotype, who prefer to go to sleep and wake up at later times, report poorer mental health, higher general loneliness, and higher nocturnal loneliness.

2 Jun 2026

Midlife sleep problems affect long-term psychological well-being in women

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that sleep problems in middle-aged and older adults are tied to lower psychological well-being nine years later.

2 Jun 2026

Eating a Mediterranean diet may lower anxiety symptoms in teens

Findings reveal that the Mediterranean diet may reduce anxiety symptoms in adolescents, with maternal dietary habits also impacting offspring mental health.

2 Jun 2026

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity boosts middle-age mental health more than walking

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is more important for mental health in middle age than light physical activity, according to a new study by the University of Oulu and ODL Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine.

1 Jun 2026

Apple Watch app detects seizures with 98% accuracy

The EpiWatch app shows high sensitivity in detecting tonic-clonic seizures in children and adults, potentially reducing SUDEP risk with timely alerts.

1 Jun 2026

Consumer wearables become the new gatekeepers of clinical health care

JMIR Publications today released a News and Perspectives expert analysis on consumer wearable platforms' forays into the clinical health care space. Authored by MedTech expert Blythe Karow, MBA, "Meet the New Health Care Gatekeeper: Your Wearable" lays out the implications of wearable tech companies owning the first conversation about a patient's health, as well as the potential impacts on patient trust, policy, and regulation.

29 May 2026

Gladstone scientists track exact routes used to clear brain waste

Think of the brain as if it were a house. Insulated from its environment, a house relies on complex networks-pipes, drains, and disposal systems-that interface with the outside world to keep the home functional on the inside.

29 May 2026

Review explores complex associations between sleep apnea and lung cancer

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder characterized by intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, which may contribute to lung cancer development and progression.

29 May 2026

Survey reveals critical knowledge gaps in maternal health recommendations

Most Americans know that how well a mother takes care of herself before and during pregnancy affects the health of a baby, but many people remain unclear about some specific maternal health recommendations, including when to start avoiding alcohol, according to a new nationally representative survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

29 May 2026

Herbal cigarettes are not safer than regular tobacco alternatives

Herbal cigarettes, widely sold in India and abroad as natural, tobacco-free, and even therapeutic alternatives to conventional cigarettes, are not safer than regular tobacco cigarettes.

29 May 2026

Grant funds research on unique challenges facing young cancer survivors

Weill Cornell Medicine received a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, to develop innovative support strategies for an understudied group of cancer patients: adolescents and young adults (AYAs).

28 May 2026