Dr David Cunnington - Sleep Physician

19/01/2026

Having access to effective treatment shouldn't depend on where you live or how much you earn.

For people with narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia who don't respond to first-line medications, sodium oxybate can be life-changing. It's one of the few options that helps when stimulants don't work.

But access isn't straightforward. In Australia, the medication costs up to $1,800 per month - a price point that reflects global pharmaceutical pricing challenges rather than manufacturing costs. This creates real barriers for people who genuinely need it.

At the same time, illicit use of GHB in the community can lead to tighter restrictions that affect people with legitimate prescriptions. It's a complex situation where patients often get caught in the middle.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/surge-in-women-using-date-rape-substance-as-party-drug-leads-to-spike-in-hospitalisations-20260107-p5ns9x.html

There is a very fine line between the amount of GHB a user wants to take recreationally and a life-endangering amount.

11/01/2026

For decades, people with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) were told to push through fatigue with exercise. Many got worse. In 2021, everything changed. The UK's NICE guideline removed graded exercise therapy (GET) from recommendations after research showed it didn't improve objective function, and 58-81% of patients reported worsening.

Now, international guidelines recommend pacing: listening to your body, staying within energy limits, and stopping before symptoms worsen.

Learn what the science shows and how to implement pacing in this blog from SleepHub : https://sleephub.com.au/pacing/

09/01/2026

What if your overnight sleep recording contained clues about your future health—we just didn't have the tools to see them until now?

A sleep study captures brain waves, heart rhythm, breathing patterns, and muscle activity across an entire night. That's an enormous amount of physiological information.

New research in Nature Medicine shows that AI models can find associations between this data and 130+ health conditions—from heart disease to dementia.

It's not ready for everyday use yet. But it shows how much valuable information has been sitting in sleep recordings all along.

The future of sleep medicine is exciting.

Read the article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-04133-4

07/01/2026

If you do ONE thing for better sleep in 2026, make it this...

Keep a consistent wake-up time + morning light exposure. That's your starting point.

A new year is a great time to make changes to your sleep. See this post https://sleephub.com.au/sleep-goals-2026/ for a guide on how to make 2026 your best sleep year.

09/10/2024

Great to see the evolution of sleep diagnostics to simpler monitoring and smarter analysis of the data that is recorded. This project evaluated a deep learning model using only oximetry and thoracic and abdominal effort bands to estimate sleep apnoea severity. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-024-01139-z

Apnea and hypopnea are common sleep disorders characterized by the obstruction of the airways. Polysomnography (PSG) is a sleep study typically used to compute the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), the number of times a person has apnea or certain types of hypopnea per hour of sleep, and diagnose the seve...

07/10/2024

Have you ever wondered why you sleep later or earlier than others? This well-researched article on early birds, night owls and how people have slept throughout history will give you all the answers.

Some of us are early birds, others are night owls. But is that down to your genes or modern life?

07/10/2024

There's been a lot in the media the last few days about daylight saving. The evidence is clear, it is bad for health, even though people generally like it. I love Till Roenneberg's quote, referring to daylight saving as a hedonistic pleasure. Listen to the full interview at: sleephub.com.au/podcast-49

07/05/2024

Important new research shows that mandibular advancement splints are effective not only at helping manage symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea but can also reduce blood pressure.

21/04/2024

So proud of my son, Will, and his work with highland cattle. It takes a village to support Will and help him work towards his goals. Many thanks to all those involved. I also got to be a fanboy, interviewing Prof Temple Grandin, who has inspired a lot of the work we have been doing with Will and his cattle.

10/03/2024

If you didn't catch the first episode of Australia's Sleep Revolution this week, you can catch up via SBS On Demand, and catch new episodes each Wednesday. Great to see sleep being featured, including the latest research from Flinders University.

Medical journalist and chronic insomnia sufferer Dr Michael Mosley puts his body on the line to trial a world-first Australian sleep treatment program being developed by the Flinders University Sleep Institute.

04/01/2024

New research suggests that hitting the snooze button might not be as bad for your sleep as previously thought.A little extra snooze time can improve cognitive performance in the morning without significantly impacting sleep quality. So, if you're feeling groggy, a few more minutes under the covers might just be what your brain needs! 🛌💡

Remember, everyone's sleep needs are different, so find what works best for you.

A new study suggests smashing that alarm button may not be all that bad. But sleep experts say there may be better ways to wake up.

04/01/2024

🌙 New research from Penn State reveals a sleep-stealing culprit: interactive screen use! Teens engaging in activities like texting or gaming before bed took 30 minutes longer to fall asleep compared to passive screen time like TV. Let's help our kids prioritise restful nights over screen time!

https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/interactive-screen-use-reduces-sleep-time-kids-researchers-find/