MEDICAL EXPRESS - SLEEP APNEA

1. Multitasking exercise found to enhance objective sleep quality in older women

   Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have discovered that the so-called "multi-task exercise," which combines cognitive activity with physical movement, enhances sleep quality in older women by activating the prefrontal cortex after exercise. These findings may support the development of exercise programs designed to improve sleep in older populations.

2. Study links lower proportions of certain sleep stages to brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease

   New research reveals that lower proportions of specific sleep stages are associated with reduced brain volume in regions vulnerable to the development of Alzheimer's disease over time.

3. One hour's screen use after going to bed increases your risk of insomnia by 59%, scientists find

   Scientists have found another reason to put the phone down: a survey of 45,202 young adults in Norway has discovered that using a screen in bed drives up your risk of insomnia by 59% and cuts your sleep time by 24 minutes. However, social media was not found to be more disruptive than other screen activities.

4. Exosomes linked to blood-brain barrier dysfunction in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea

   A new study by researchers from Marshall University and the University of Missouri highlights how exosomes—tiny vesicles released by cells—may play a key role in blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), particularly those with neurocognitive deficits.

5. Research shows link between the start of the working day and time preferences

   Those who start work earlier express more discomfort with the seasonal time change. This is the main conclusion of a study that the lecturers at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and the University of Seville (US), Jorge Mira Pérez and José María Martín Olalla, have published in the journal Chronobiology International, in which they analyze in detail the results of the public consultation organized by the European Commission in 2018 in the then 28 member states, which obtained 4 million responses.

6. Poor sleep linked to advanced stages of a complex heart and kidney disease syndrome

   People with a complex heart, kidney and metabolic-related condition who got better quality sleep were less likely to have an advanced stage of the illness than those getting poor sleep, according to a new study.

7. Sleep keeps memories fresh: Study finds neural patterns reorganize during sleep to boost recollection

   A good night's sleep helps us remember recently learned information, "engraving" our memories. This is also true for animals, as remembering, for example, the location of food resources is essential for their survival. Scientists can examine this role of sleep in the lab by training lab mice or rats about their environment using various memory tasks.

8. Don't snooze on sleep apnea

   Does your partner keep leaving for the guest bedroom because of your thunderous snoring? Don't call the divorce lawyer. Instead, consider calling your doctor.

9. Insomniac fruit fly mutants show enhanced memory despite severe sleep loss

   Fruit fly mutants that have severe sleep deficits perform better at olfactory learning and memory tasks, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Sheng Huang and Stephan Sigrist from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, and colleagues. The paradox of enhanced memory despite sleep loss could be explained by protein kinase A (PKA) signaling in the mushroom body of the fly brain.

10. Chronic jet lag disrupts metabolism differently in male and female mice, study finds

    Jet lag is one of the worst parts of long-distance traveling or shift work—it makes us tired and cranky, and also plays havoc with our metabolism (and therefore our weight). Now, new research on mice suggests that the way jet lag impacts our metabolism may depend on our sex.

11. Insomnia can lead to heart issues: Psychologist recommends changes that can improve sleep

    About 10% of Americans say they have chronic insomnia, and millions of others report poor sleep quality. Ongoing research has found that bad sleep could lead to numerous health problems, including heart disease.

12. Q&A: What's keeping you up at night?

    Struggling to sleep after the time change? You're not alone—daylight saving time causes temporary insomnia symptoms in as many as 35% of adults due to the sudden change in schedule, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Roughly a third of those adults will suffer insomnia symptoms year-round.

13. Spring resolutions: Why it's the best time of year to make healthy changes

    In the middle of winter, when lack of sunlight can lead to low energy and low mood, we are expected to make new year's resolutions. But why not wait till March, for spring, when the returning sunlight gives us the energy and improved mood to tackle fundamentally difficult things like starting a new diet or exercise regimen? We need spring resolutions, not new year's resolutions.

14. Why are night owls at greater risk of depression?

    Mindfulness, total sleep quality, and alcohol consumption may help explain why people who stay up late have a greater risk of depression, according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Simon Evans of the University of Surrey, UK, and colleagues.

15. The naturalness of the seasonal time change: Researchers question basis of modern criticism

    What is the best time to start the day in view of the variation in when the sun rises? This is the problem analyzed by Jorge Mira Pérez and José María Martín-Olalla, lecturers at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and the University of Seville (US), in a study that has just been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. In it, they analyze the physiological and social foundations of the practice of seasonal time change and review its impact on health.

16. Can a daily nap do more harm than good? A sleep researcher explains

    You're in the middle of the afternoon, eyelids heavy, focus slipping. You close your eyes for half an hour and wake up feeling recharged. But later that night, you're tossing and turning in bed, wondering why you can't drift off. That midday snooze which felt so refreshing at the time might be the reason.

17. Early surgical intervention shown to be effective in children with sleep-disordered breathing

    An estimated 6–17% of children have sleep-disordered breathing, ranging from snoring to sleep apnea, which can cause behavioral, neurocognitive, cardiovascular, and cardiometabolic issues. A randomized trial from Mass General Brigham researchers reveals that adenotonsillectomy—the surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids—is an effective early intervention for these children.

18. New AI model analyzes full night of sleep with high accuracy in largest study of its kind

    Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine have developed a powerful AI tool, built on the same transformer architecture used by large language models like ChatGPT, to process an entire night's sleep. To date, it is one of the largest studies, analyzing 1,011,192 hours of sleep. Details of their findings were reported in the March 13 online issue of the journal SLEEP.

19. How much sleep do you really need? Experts say it depends

    Chances are, if you're reading this, you got some sleep last night. But are you feeling rested?

20. Poor sleep could be bad for your brain, study indicates

    Poor sleep could have an impact on brain health, according to a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) published in the journal Sleep Medicine.

21. Researcher finds way to diagnose people with sleep apnea while they're awake

    A researcher at Northeastern University has found a groundbreaking new way to diagnose people with sleep apnea that could open the door for mass screenings of a sleep disorder that affects millions of people.

22. Poor sleep may fuel conspiracy beliefs, research suggests

    A new study from the University of Nottingham has revealed that poor sleep quality may increase susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs, with depression likely playing a key role in this relationship.

23. New tool enhances obstructive sleep apnea detection accuracy

    Many Australians could be suffering from undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), with Charles Darwin University (CDU) researchers developing a new technique to screen for the potentially fatal condition.

24. Abnormal uterine bleeding during menopause linked to greater risk of fatigue

    Multiple menopause symptoms can make women feel fatigued. Hot flashes, sleep problems, pain, and depression are just a few. A new study suggests that heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding may increase fatigue, which helps to explain why midlife women are two-to-four times more likely to experience debilitating forms of syndromic fatigue.

25. How satisfied are you with your mattress? Research develops and tests a tool to find out

    Sleep quality is a crucial aspect of health, yet while adults spend around a third of their lives sleeping, there is surprisingly little research on mattresses. Mass General Brigham researchers developed and tested the Boston Mattress Satisfaction Questionnaire (BMSQ), a new tool to rigorously assess mattress satisfaction and characteristics.

26. Blood test shows promise for early detection of dementia in people with a certain sleep disorder

    For people with a certain sleep disorder, a simple blood test could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a new study indicates.

27. Bad sleep harms old-age memory by disrupting the brain's 'waste removal system,' study shows

    Poor sleep among older adults is linked to disruptions in the brain's "waste removal system," according to researchers at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). A recent study led by Professor Tatia M.C. Lee, Chair Professor of Psychological Science and Clinical Psychology and May Professor in Neuropsychology at HKU, offers valuable insight into how sleep quality impacts brain functioning.

28. The 'spring forward' of daylight saving time comes with health concerns

    While the promise of longer evenings can be appealing to many after a long, dark winter, the looming "spring forward" comes with a range of potential health concerns.

29. Study links sleep debt and night shifts to increased infection risk among nurses

    A new study examining the effects of sleep patterns and shift work on the immune system has found that sleep debt and night shifts increase the risk of several common infections in nurses.

30. Can melatonin supplements really 'reverse' DNA damage caused by lack of sleep?

    Sleep isn't just a luxury, it's a vital process that helps our bodies repair and rejuvenate. Researchers have started to uncover how the quality and timing of sleep can affect more than just how rested we feel—it might also affect the very blueprint of our cells: our DNA.