Sleep apnea often goes unnoticed in people with cancer, and a 2026 review argues that a closer look at the mouth, jaw and nose could help catch it. The researchers propose adding a dental and airway exam to standard sleep testing for adults with cancer.1 Research Highlights A proposal, not a trial: 3 dental researchers …
High-school students in Vietnam who slept worse reported slightly lower grades, according to a 2026 survey of 541 students in Grades 10 and 11. Shorter sleep carried most of that link, which shrank once fatigue and motivation were taken into account.1 Research Highlights A small link between sleep and grades: worse sleep scores went with …
Heart surgery patients who slept poorly around their operation had lower heart rate variability before surgery and on each of the next 3 days, according to a 2026 study of 95 adults in China.1 Research Highlights Poor sleep was common: 33 of 95 cardiac surgery patients scored above 7 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index …
Among Swedish memory-clinic patients without dementia, more stressful life events were linked to a spinal-fluid sign of Alzheimer’s amyloid buildup, but only in people with moderate-to-high insomnia symptoms, according to a 2026 study.1 Research Highlights Stress and insomnia worked together: in 103 patients with spinal-fluid tests, lifetime stressful events and insomnia symptoms interacted in relation …
A 2026 meta-analysis of 7 small Chinese trials found that adding herbal patches on acupuncture points to usual stroke care improved self-rated sleep in 608 stroke survivors with sleep problems.1 The researchers rated that evidence as very low certainty, and safety was barely reported. Research Highlights Better sleep scores: across 6 trials (536 people), Pittsburgh …
In a 2026 case report from China, a 34-year-old woman with mild intellectual disability was sent for evaluation of possible narcolepsy. Sleep testing and EEG instead showed epilepsy and moderate obstructive sleep apnea.1 Research Highlights Narcolepsy was ruled unlikely: she took 9.3 minutes on average to fall asleep during daytime nap tests, with no early …
A 2026 PLOS Biology study using 256-electrode EEG and 1,024 NREM2 awakenings found that immersive dreaming predicted deeper subjective sleep, beta = 0.277, while reflective thought predicted shallower subjective sleep, beta = −0.195.1 Deep-feeling sleep can include immersive conscious experience. Research Highlights Immersion predicted depth: Perceptual immersion in NREM2 dreams was positively associated with subjective …