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Life Stress Linked to Alzheimer’s Amyloid When Insomnia Is Worse

MHD card showing a person lying awake in bed under a glowing clock, with a faint brain outline holding gold amyloid clusters above, illustrating a study in which life stress was linked to an Alzheimer's amyloid marker only in people with worse insomnia.

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 …

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Chemotherapy Sleep: 87% Poor Quality, 61% Variable Timing

MHD featured image for chemotherapy sleep quality and sleep timing.

Sleep problems during chemotherapy include more than daytime fatigue. In a 2026 outpatient chemotherapy sample, 87% reported poor sleep quality and 61% had variable sleep timing, while measured bedroom light, temperature, and self-reported environmental disruption were not significantly linked to overall sleep health.1 Research Highlights Small chemotherapy sample: Adams et al. studied 23 adults receiving …

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Sancai Acupuncture for Primary Insomnia: 13-Point ISI Drop vs. Sham

MHD featured image for Sancai acupuncture and primary insomnia treatment in a sham-controlled trial.

A 2026 randomized sham-controlled trial in 76 adults with primary insomnia found an 8-week Sancai acupuncture protocol reduced post-treatment Insomnia Severity Index scores to 7.80 vs. 16.45 with sham acupuncture, while total sleep time increased to 366.83 minutes vs. 287.97 minutes.1 Research Highlights Insomnia severity fell far more with real acupuncture: Zhao et al. randomized …

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Dexamethasone Disrupts Mouse Sleep Through Orexin Hyperarousal

Photoreal illustration of a steroid pill bottle with overlay of disrupted sleep architecture, conveying glucocorticoid-induced insomnia mechanism.

A 2026 male-mouse study found that 30 mg/kg dexamethasone for 5 days increased light-phase wakefulness (t13 = 4.122, p = 0.0012), decreased NREM sleep (t13 = 4.412, p = 0.0007), and amplified orexin-neuron activity during NREM-to-wake transitions (F1,9 = 6.941, p = 0.0272). The result points to orexin-linked hyperarousal as a testable explanation for steroid-induced …

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