Sleep Well Clinic

23/11/2025

Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea has been associated with an increased risk of cerebral microbleeds, which can heighten the likelihood of strokes and cognitive decline. Cerebral microbleeds are a common finding in the aging brain. Microbleeds increase with age, and people who have them have a slightly higher risk of future strokes and faster cognitive decline. Anything that increases microbleeds is relevant to brain aging. Microbleeds may increase the risk for dementia down the line.
Know the signs:
Loud, frequent snoring is a good indicator. If your partner notices pauses in your breathing while you sleep or gasping and choking, that’s another sign you should have a sleep study.
Problems during the day can be a good indicator, too. Sleepiness, trouble concentrating, irritability and increased hunger are signs you may not be getting quality sleep and that it may be time to get assessed for sleep apnoea.
Night sweats might also be a sign of sleep apnoea, as research has shown that about 30% of people with obstructive sleep apnoea have reported night sweats.
Waking up at least two times in the night, teeth grinding, and morning headaches might also indicate a problem.

This cohort study investigates the association of obstructive sleep apnea severity with risk of incident cerebral microbleeds in middle-aged and older adults in Korea.

20/11/2025

Sleep disturbances are common in patients with traumatic brain injury.
Twenty-three studies involving 881 patients with traumatic brain injury and 769 controls were included. This study found significant sleep–wake abnormalities as assessed by actigraphy in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). As compared to controls, patients with TBI show longer sleep onset latency, increased wake after sleep onset, poorer sleep efficiency, and greater night-to-night variability in total sleep time and wake after sleep onset. These findings underscore the significant impact of TBI on sleep and highlight the importance of targeted sleep interventions for patients with TBI, with a special emphasis on managing night-to-night sleep variability.

AbstractStudy Objectives. Sleep disturbances are common in patients with traumatic brain injury. Actigraphy can provide an objective and naturalistic asses

19/11/2025

Bright light mornings, dim dark nights set the stage for healthier sleep. What you do in the first and last hour of the day is critical for your sleep.
Get outside upon waking for 30 minutes of bright sunlight.
As you approach bedtime, dim the lights, shut the curtains, switch off devices.

18/11/2025

Scientists have just defined five sleep profiles — and some could help spot mental illness.
Scientists know people who sleep poorly are at much higher risk of developing depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment, and tend to have shorter life spans.
Researchers used data from the Human Connectome Project, which maps nerve fiber-level connections throughout the human brain, to try to get a more detailed picture of sleep quality and its relationship to well-being.
The five sleep profiles
1. Poor sleepers – These people had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep and often had mental health issues like feeling anxious, depressed, angry or stressed as well as daytime impairment.

2. Sleep-resilient — Even though they had mental health challenges, such as inattention, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and issues with thinking and focus during the day, they didn't report sleep problems.

3. Short sleepers — They didn't sleep very long and had trouble with thinking and memory, as well as aggression and lower agreeableness

4. Sleep-aid users — Their sleep patterns were affected mainly by the use of sleep aids, such as over-the-counter medications, CBD (cannabidiol) with or without THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), chamomile tea or prescription medications.

5. Disturbed sleepers — Their sleep was often disrupted, possibly because of the use of alcohol or ci******es, or because of dehydration, which affected their health and daily life.

These profiles can potentially untangle the interplay between individuals’ variability in sleep, health, cognition, and lifestyle—equipping research and clinical settings to better support individual’s well-being.

Sleep can be a marker of health but is often only investigated from a single dimension such as sleep duration or cognitive performance. This study identifies five sleep-biopsychosocial profiles that link self-reported sleep patterns to inter-individual variability in health, cognition and lifestyle....

17/11/2025

Turning off the lights at night has long been known to support restful sleep, but new research suggests it may have another significant benefit. A recently published study suggests sleeping in total darkness may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Participants exposed to the brightest light at night had a significantly higher risk of heart failure, coronary artery disease and stroke. The study tracked nearly 89,000 people using wrist wearables to monitor light exposure.
People who slept in the brightest conditions — similar to having overhead bedroom lights on —had a 56% greater risk of developing heart failure. Those who slept under such intense light also had a 32% higher risk of coronary artery disease and a 28% higher risk of stroke.
Light can block your brain’s production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, so reducing light exposure at night can start with making changes to your wind-down routine. Limit screen time as much as possible and switch off unnecessary household lights within four hours of bedtime.
The associations were still significant after considering physical activity levels, smoking status, alcohol intake, diet, shift work and other potentially influential factors.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2840489

16/11/2025

Sleep is essential for adolescents' health and cognitive functioning, and may therefore play a significant role for their academic achievements. However, ample evidence across the globe shows that adolescents sleep less than recommended on school nights and a substantial proportion experience daytime sleepiness. Adolescents aged 14–17 years need approximately 8–10 hr of sleep per night for adequate daytime functioning.
This study explored the prospective associations between sleep patterns, mental health and registry-based school grades among older adolescents.
Shorter school night sleep duration, as well as more severe symptoms of insomnia and depression at baseline, all predicted worse grade point averages at 2-year follow-up when controlled for baseline grade point averages.
By contrast, anxiety symptomatology at baseline was unrelated to changes in grade point averages over time. The longitudinal associations between school night sleep duration and insomnia symptoms on grade point averages were significant also when adjusted for s*x and baseline symptoms of depression and anxiety. These findings indicate that shorter school night sleep duration and more severe insomnia symptoms predict lower grade point averages development over time, irrespective of co-existing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Results of the current study indicate that intervening on adolescents' sleep problems may be central to optimize their school performance.

This study explored the prospective associations between sleep patterns, mental health and registry-based school grades among older adolescents. In the spring of 2019, 1st year high-school students i...

12/11/2025

Key Takeaways from research on weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound and sleep apnoea.
1. GLP-1 drugs might protect people against sleep apnoea.
2. All type 2 diabetes patients who took GLP-1 drugs were less likely to die within a year.
3. However, those with sleep apnoea had an additional 20% lower risk of dying.
GLP-1 weight-loss drugs were associated with a lower risk of mortality among patients with sleep apnoea, researchers reported at a meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians. The study analysed data from nearly 1.8 million patients with type 2 diabetes, about 28% of whom had been prescribed a GLP-1 drug.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, decreases appetite and slows digestion of food. The drugs initially were developed to treat diabetes, before their weight loss benefits were observed.
Everyone taking a GLP-1 drug had a lower short-term risk of death, but those with sleep apnoea had a 20% lower risk than those without the breathing disorder, results showed.
What This Means For You:
People seeking GLP-1 treatment should let their doctor know if they suffer from sleep apnoea, as this might influence the decision to prescribe.

11/11/2025

The evidence for using alcohol to get to sleep shows clear, detrimental effects. A review of 27 studies on the impact of alcohol consumption on subsequent sleep in healthy adults found consumption of two standard drinks disrupted REM sleep.
Changes in sleep architecture were observed, including a delay in the onset of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and a reduction in the duration of REM sleep. A dose-response relationship was identified such that disruptions to REM sleep occurred following consumption of a low dose of alcohol (≤0.50 g∙kg−1 or approximately two standard drinks) and progressively worsened with increasing doses of alcohol.
Although alcohol reduces sleep latency and helps us fall asleep faster, it was only observed following the consumption of a high dose of alcohol (≥0.85∙g kg−1 or approximately five standard drinks). Alcohol also subsequently worsens sleep architecture and alters the ways that our brain functions during sleep. Further, alcohol relaxes our breathing muscles, causing snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea.

Alcohol is commonly consumed prior to bedtime with the belief that it facilitates sleep. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the imp…

10/11/2025

A study in JAMA Pediatrics found that 18.3% of young adults use cannabis to help them fall asleep. Research indicates that while cannabis might assist in falling asleep initially, it could potentially lead to increased sleep issues and substance use over time. The study also found that daily or near-daily cannabis use was more common among females.
The study of data from 1473 young adults aged between 19 and 30 years also found 7.2% of those surveyed reported drinking alcohol to induce sleep.
Some research has shown many people build gradual cannabis tolerance when consumed for sleep, leading to more use and potentially substance-use disorder.

This survey study identifies the prevalence of and demographic characteristics associated with use of substances for sleep purposes in US adults aged 19 to 30 years.

09/11/2025

Rapid-eye-movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia causing motor behaviours and vocalizations during sleep, which can lead to injuries in patients and their bed partners. Adult-onset RBD generally precedes a neurodegenerative synucleinopathy, while other cases can be associated with antidepressant use, neurotrauma and narcolepsy.
The symptomatic treatment of RBD should encompass a full clinical assessment in which contributing factors should systemically be evaluated (antidepressants, obstructive sleep apnea, etc.). The evaluation and treatment paradigm should preferably include the patient, bed partner, and family/caregiver.
Despite the rapidly increasing knowledge about RBD, effective symptomatic treatment of RBD remains a significant challenge. The diagnosis of RBD is frequently delayed. Physicians and health care providers are frequently not familiar with this disorder. Once diagnosed, treatment options are limited and may be associated with adverse effects that limit their use.
This paper summarises the evidence supporting the use of clonazepam, melatonin, rivastigmine, and pramipexole, the four agents currently recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945725002291?via%3Dihub

06/11/2025

Partners sleeping separately is on the rise:
New survey data from the AASM shows that 31% of U.S. adults are choosing to sleep apart from their partner to get better rest. Most common among 35–44-year-olds, this trend is sparking conversations about what it really means to sleep well. Those who are 65 or older were the least likely (18%) to sleep in separate beds or separate rooms.
Along with choosing separate sleep spaces, the survey data also reveals adults are changing their behaviours to accommodate bed partners, too. Over one-third (37%) of respondents say they go to sleep at a different time than desired to accommodate a bed partner, and 15% of people say they use a silent alarm. Males were more likely than females to report implementing these habits in both categories.
It is important to highlight that if you are sleeping in a separate room because your partner is snoring excessively, please bring it to their attention so they can speak with a health care professional, such as the Sleep Well Clinic.
Healthy sleep is essential for healthy relationships, no matter how it’s achieved. Preferred room temperature, work schedules, and even preferences for white noise, pets in the room or light sources can be factors to take into consideration.

05/11/2025

In addition to sleep duration, sleep timing is another important but significantly understudied sleep characteristic that may be closely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. To investigate optimal sleep timing, these researchers assessed the associations of sleep timing with all-cause and CVD mortality in a large sample of older adults.
Compared with the intermediate group, both early and late midpoint groups were associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality
For the first time, researchers identified U-shaped associations of sleep timing with all-cause and CVD mortality by identifying the specific sleep timing points associated with the lowest mortality risk, explicitly from 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
The associations of early and late sleep timing with risk of all-cause mortality were more pronounced in males, older people, and those with a high CVD genetic risk score.
https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.11762