Sleep Well Clinic

28/09/2025

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most debilitating autoimmunity-related disorders affecting approximately 2.4 million people worldwide. MS mainly affects young adults between the second and fourth decades of life. Its high prevalence, early onset and impact on quality of life have led to a significant increase in research on MS in recent decades.
Recently, there has been a focus on modifiable factors that increase the risk or facilitate disease progression. Within this scenario, sleep seems to have a direct or indirect relationship with many factors related to the etiopathogenesis of MS, confirming the presence of marked sleep disorders throughout the disease.
The close indirect relationship between sleep and MS is based on mutual immune, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative mechanisms.
Sleep disorders are more frequent in MS patients than in controls, in particular: insomnia, obstructive sleep apnoea and restless leg syndrome.
Additional factors that link sleep to MS include: quality of life, the emotional sphere (e.g. anxiety and depression), and certain MS-related conditions that impact sleep (e.g. pain and nocturia).
Based on recent scientific evidence, possible new sleep-based therapeutic scenarios (sleep hygiene, CBT, melatonin and vitamin D) are possible therapeutic treatments for the numerous MS patients who complain of sleep disorders.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568997225001636?via%3Dihub

25/09/2025

High-performing leaders often talk about what little sleep they get, but rest isn't what you get after you prove your worth. It's how you sustain it. Adequate sleep can boost overall performance and help regulate emotions. Leaders can also model getting rest, taking breaks, working when they feel most productive and making it part of performance conversations with their teams.

24/09/2025

Nighttime anxiety can be overwhelming since there are fewer things to distract us from stress, but psychologists suggest several strategies to manage it. Set a "worry time" before bed to list concerns, use mental exercises to distract the mind and ground through the senses. It may also be helpful to get out of bed if sleep doesn't come quickly and keep a comforting script nearby to challenge exaggerated nighttime thoughts.

23/09/2025

Weekend social activities that include drinking and smoking may contribute to a spike in sleep apnoea, according to a recently published study. Researchers found a 24% increased risk of sleep apnoea in adults under 60 on weekends, and an 18% increase overall. Factors such as alcohol use, lighter sleep and inconsistent use of sleep apnoea therapies may play a role.
Sleep apnea is caused by a person’s airways collapsing as they sleep, stopping or severely obstructing their breath. This causes their brain to jolt them to wakefulness, at least enough for them to resume breathing. Untreated sleep apnoea can increase a person’s risk of heart disease, depression, diabetes, dementia, daytime fatigue, injuries and even death.
To combat “social apnoea,” researchers recommend maintaining your sleep routine even during the weekend.
Recommendations from researchers:
Try to keep the same sleep schedule throughout the week and weekend, ensuring that you get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Keeping a fixed wake-up time and using your prescribed OSA [obstructive sleep apnoea] therapy, even on weekends, and going to bed when you feel sleepy will help ensure you frequently get enough restorative sleep which can help combat the weekend spike in OSA.

"“Social Apnea”: Obstructive Sleep Apnea is Exacerbated on Weekends." American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 0(ja), pp. Keywords: Sleep disordered breathing; night-to-night variability; chronic disease; sleep irregularity; OSA

22/09/2025

As many as 70% of teenagers get inadequate sleep. Teenagers who get poor sleep may be more likely to engage in self-harm, according to a newly published study. The study found that shorter sleep, later bedtimes and frequent night waking were associated with a higher risk of self-harm at ages 14 through 17.
Sleep problems increased risk of self-harm even after accounting for other factors like age, gender, socioeconomic status, self-esteem and depression. Poor sleep can interfere with a teen’s impulsiveness and ability to make good decisions. A lack of sleep also might impede their ability to cope with depression or anxiety and make them more likely to view their life in a negative light.
Self-harm is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents and young adults.
Researchers said future study should investigate whether promoting better sleep through cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia might provide protection against self-harm.

Background Sleep problems and self-harm during adolescence are both highly common and major public health concerns, yet the nature of their relationship remains poorly understood. This study examine...

21/09/2025

Insomnia (the difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep) and sleep deprivation are becoming recognised as a public health emergency in the US, with chronic insomnia (more than 3 nights a week for at least 3 months) affecting about 12% of Americans according to AASM data. The impact extends beyond sleep difficulties, contributing to daytime fatigue, low motivation, depression, anxiety, increased vulnerability to illness, lost productivity and increased risk of accidents.
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is currently the gold standard for treatment of insomnia. Chronic insomnia can become a persistent learned condition; seek treatment earlier to overcome this condition.

18/09/2025

Are sleep disturbances modifiable risk factors for mild cognitive impairment and dementia? A systematic review of large studies:
Studies have shown a connection between sleep disorders, mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The present systematic review aimed to determine in large studies whether sleep disturbances are modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline.
The results of this systematic review showed that extreme sleep durations (either too short or too long), daytime sleepiness, circadian sleep-wake cycle disruption, and variation in sleep patterns are factors associated with an increased risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia.
The findings of this review emphasise the strong connection between sleep disturbances, circadian rhythm, and the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sleep disorders may serve as an early indicator for cognitive decline, also considering that they may represent a modifiable risk factor for dementia. Therefore, recognition and treatment of sleep problems should be included in the prevention strategies against cognitive decline, opening up new opportunities for the prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment and AD.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11325-025-03421-0

17/09/2025

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard of care for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), but adherence remains a major clinical challenge. This study looked at the association between self-efficacy, determined using the Self-Efficacy Measure for Sleep Apnoea (SEMSA)-15 questionnaire, and one-year CPAP adherence/adherence trajectories in individuals with newly-diagnosed OSA.
After adjustment for confounding variables, the SEMSA-15 score was significantly associated with CPAP adherence at 15 days (odds ratio [OR] 4.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.13–7.79), 90 days (OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.39–5.01) and 1 year (OR 3.14, 95% CI 1.71–5.79). The SEMSA-15 score was also significantly associated with having a better CPAP adherence trajectory (OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.61–5.04).
Key takeaway: Self-efficacy (based on the SEMSA-15 score) could facilitate the early identification of individuals likely to have low adherence and/or at risk of CPAP therapy termination.

BACKGROUND Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard of care for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but adherence remains a major clinical challenge. Clinical variables are insufficien...

16/09/2025

The adverse impact of untreated OSA on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are well-established, with relative risks for severe OSA ranging between 1.5 and 4.0 depending on the outcome examined. To what degree treatment with nocturnal PAP modifies this risk is less well established. This ambitious systematic review and meta-analysis of the trial evidence to date sought to provide clarity. Thirty studies including over a million subjects showed significant reductions in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in patients who used PAP compared with those who did not. The clinically relevant benefits of PAP therapy increased with PAP use. Patients should be made aware of this effect of their treatment, which could result in greater acceptance of treatment initiation and greater adherence, leading to a higher likelihood of improved outcomes.

Our results are consistent with a potentially beneficial effect of PAP therapy on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with OSA. Patients should be made aware of this effect of their treatment, which could result in greater acceptance of treatment initiation and greater adherence, lead...

15/09/2025

Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are strongly linked, with over 90% of individuals diagnosed with T2D also exhibiting overweight or obesity. Obesity is a major risk factor for the onset and progression of T2D. Thus, identification of modifiable factors that impact on weight in T2D is important. The large SLEEP T2D study reported in 2024 that short sleep duration was significantly associated with the development of T2D. The current study examined the impact of sleep duration on weight in patients with existing T2D. Short sleep duration was common (54.9% of patients) and was associated with a higher BMI and waist circumference at baseline, and with greater weight gain over time.
The findings suggest that short sleep duration is significantly associated with increased adiposity measures in patients with T2D and acts as a risk factor for weight gain. Therefore, patients with T2D and obesity should incorporate healthy sleep duration into both their long-term management and treatment of the condition.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dme.70051

14/09/2025

Obesity is a major risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and prior research has demonstrated that weight reduction is an effective intervention. However, not all individuals with OSA have obesity, highlighting the need to better understand the overlap between obesity and OSA.
Obesity is rising, with the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022 data revealing that 34.0% of people are overweight and 31.7% are obese. Obesity is a major risk factor for OSA, but not all patients with OSA are obese. By analysing four large community-based studies (three in the US and one from Switzerland) the authors hoped to examine more closely the relationship between obesity and OSA. Their perhaps surprising finding was that most adults with OSA do not have obesity (44.4% were overweight and 23.5% were of normal weight or underweight). Obesity was more prevalent among females compared to males and in younger individuals (

Our analyses show that most adults with OSA do not have obesity, with 44.4% having overweight and 23.5% having normal weight or underweight. Obesity was more prevalent among females compared to males and in younger individuals (

11/09/2025

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure May Prevent Rise in Blood Pressure in Normotensive Sleep Apnoea:
A newly published study shows that continuous positive airway pressure prevented increases in blood pressure among people with normal blood pressure who had severe obstructive sleep apnoea as well as a dipping blood pressure pattern. The randomized controlled trial showed that the CPAP group had a significant reduction in nighttime diastolic blood pressure as compared with usual care, highlighting CPAP's potential as a preventive measure for hypertension.

This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.