Sleep Well Clinic

01/03/2026

Symptoms such as loss of smell, acting out dreams during sleep, constipation, and dizziness upon standing can appear decades before a Parkinson's disease diagnosis, according to experts. These non-motor symptoms often precede the more recognised motor symptoms, such as tremors, slowness and stiffness.

WaPo: 4 Parkinson’s disease symptoms that can show up decades before a diagnosis January 28, 2026 By Parkinson's Community Help This article in the “Washington Post” describes four symptoms that can occur a decade or more before the classic movement symptoms of Parkinson’s. The four symptoms...

26/02/2026

Middle-aged adults with comorbid insomnia and sleep apnoea faced significantly elevated odds for uncontrolled hypertension vs. adults without these conditions, according to results published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
These findings provide novel insights for identifying subgroups of OSA patients at risk of adverse cardiovascular consequences.
https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202501-080OC

25/02/2026

Sleep tracking is on the rise among Americans, with 48% using devices in the past year, up from 35% in 2023, according to AASM survey results. More than half of respondents adjusted sleep behaviours based on data, but the growing cultural focus on sleep data is also increasing anxiety, with 76% reporting orthosomnia issues (Orthosomnia is a term for an excessive focus on sleep tracker data that may interfere with sleep quality and health).
Sleep trackers can be valuable tools for raising awareness about sleep health and motivating positive changes in sleep habits.
However, it’s important that tracking enhances sleep and doesn’t cause more stress about it. If you find yourself lying awake worrying about your sleep duration or quality, it may be time to step back from tracking your sleep.
https://aasm.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/sleep-prioritization-survey-2025-using-sleep-tracking-devices.pdf

24/02/2026

Objective vs perceived sleep in Belgian occupational drivers: A field study
Drivers averaged 6.2 of total sleep time (TST) and 7.1 of time in bed (TIB).
Sleep stages were distributed as follows: 60.1 ± 5.2 % light sleep (LS), 18.0 ± 3.3 % deep sleep (DS), 21.2 ± 4.2 % REM sleep and 12.8 ± 1.8 % of awake.
29.0 % of participants experienced elevated nocturnal wakefulness.
A central finding was the widespread presence of chronic sleep restriction, with most drivers (83.9 %) failing to meet the recommended 7–8 h of TST per night.
Although this study cannot establish consequences, this pattern is consistent with earlier reports describing links between insufficient sleep, vigilance impairment and crash risk among professional drivers. When compared to the general Belgian population, the extent of sleep restriction among drivers in this sample is particularly concerning. According to a recent survey by Helan, 58.1 % of Belgian adults report sleeping the recommended 7–8 h on weekdays, and only 28 % sleep less than 6 h. In contrast, the current sample showed that fewer than one in five drivers achieved 7–8 h of sleep, and a much larger proportion fell below the 6.5-h mark. These descriptive differences point to a notable disparity between professional drivers and the broader working population, warranting closer attention in future research.

23/02/2026

A study in Sleep Advances found a strong correlation between insufficient sleep and reduced life expectancy. The study, led by Andrew McHill of Oregon Health & Science University, analysed data from the CDC Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2019 to 2025 and found that sleep insufficiency was a significant predictor of lower life expectancy, second only to smoking.
Key Takeaways
Insufficient sleep is linked to reduced life expectancy, emphasising the need for adequate rest for longevity.
Adequate sleep supports physical and emotional health, reducing risks of chronic diseases and improving daily functioning.

AbstractStudy Objectives. Millions of Americans obtain insufficient sleep daily, yet it is unknown the relationship between sleep and life expectancy by co

22/02/2026

Sleep is one of the pillars of children’s health. It supports their growth, learning, mood, and behaviour. That’s why researchers and health professionals are so interested in knowing how much children sleep — and whether they are getting enough rest.
One common way to gather this information is by asking parents how long their children usually sleep. Another increasingly used method is to use small wrist-worn devices called accelerometers, which track movement and give us an objective estimate of sleep duration.
In this recent study, the authors wanted to understand how closely these two methods agree. They worked with a large sample of over 700 primary school children from socially vulnerable communities. Each child wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days, and their parents filled out a questionnaire reporting how many hours their child typically sleeps.
The results revealed a significant mismatch: parents tended to overestimate their children’s sleep by a wide margin. On average, parent-reported sleep duration was notably longer than what the accelerometers recorded. In other words, many children were sleeping less than their parents believed.
Parents reported nearly 1 hour more sleep than actigraphy measurements.
Parent reports indicated that 91% of children met the recommended sleep duration on weekdays, whereas actigraphy data revealed that only 49% did.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-07786-w

19/02/2026

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Physical and Mental Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review
Key findings highlight a U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and all-cause mortality, with both short (

18/02/2026

The beneficial effects of a structured healthy lifestyle program for older adults go beyond improved cognition to include improved blood pressure regulation, reduced sleep apnoea respiratory events, and increased cognitive resilience for those with certain Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related brain changes.
Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in older adults, often go undetected and untreated, and are associated with poor brain health outcomes, including cognitive decline.
Improved sleep due to a lifestyle intervention may increase neuroprotection and reduce the risk for cognitive decline via reduced hypoxic burden, increased sleep continuity, and stabilized cerebral blood flow and clearance of neurotoxins.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2837046

17/02/2026

In adolescents and young adults, delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD) may be associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and restless legs syndrome (RLS), which can make falling asleep difficult and worsen insomnia.
DSWPD, RLS, and ADHD share common neurobiological, genetic, and clinical mechanisms and exacerbate one another.
Delayed sleep-wake phase disorder leads to sleep deprivation, which can contribute to the development of depression. This can worsen restless legs syndrome or even trigger it if treatment with antidepressants is initiated. All of these factors affect ADHD. Together, these factors contribute to sleepiness, fatigue, and poorer academic performance.
DSWPD is defined as a chronic shift in sleep onset and wake times, delayed by several hours. When constrained by early morning wake times, individuals with this circadian rhythm disorder accumulate sleep debt, leading to sleepiness, learning difficulties, and affective disorders.
During adolescence, pubertal hormonal changes and increased sensitivity to nighttime light are cited as potential causes of the slowing of the biological clock associated with DSWPD. The condition may also be favoured by changes in behavioural habits, such as increased screen exposure and social outings. Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents are affected.
ADHD affects about 5% of adolescents. It is also present in 26% of adolescents and young adults with DSWPD.
Treatment:
Iron deficiency is the main cause of RLS.
For DSWPD management, a chronobiological approach using synchronizers is recommended, particularly for exposure to morning daylight. Light therapy involves exposure to white light that simulates daylight for a set duration to correct phase delay.
Daily physical activity is also recommended to avoid exercising in the evening before bedtime.
For most adolescents with DSWPD, the optimal window is between 1 PM and 3 PM, which is favourable for falling asleep in the evening.

16/02/2026

Research published in the journal Innovation Aging suggests that back pain is predictive of subsequent sleep issues in men aged 65 years and up. Having any back pain, frequent back pain, or severe or activity-limiting back pain predicted 12% to 25% greater sleep issues six years later. Researchers said the findings show that "pain management may be necessary for maintaining quality sleep and preventing broader health problems in older adults over time.
https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/article/9/11/igaf113/8283547?login=true

15/02/2026

Australia recently announced a ban on social media use for kids under 16, citing concerns about mental health and online safety. But there’s another issue at stake—sleep. Teenagers’ late-night screen use has quietly become one of the biggest barriers to healthy development.
Sleep-deprived teens face higher risks of depression, anxiety, substance use, and academic struggles. While Australia’s move is bold, similar efforts are emerging in the United States.
Sleep is more than an individual behaviour—policy matters.
There’s robust evidence linking nighttime media use to poor sleep. For many teens, nighttime scrolling fills the hours meant for rest. Our work and others’ show that more than 70% of adolescents say they check their phones after going to bed, and many wake up in the night to respond to notifications. This is harmful in multiple ways. Physiologically, the light emitted from screens suppresses melatonin secretion and delays circadian rhythms. Psychologically, the emotional stimulation from online interactions keeps the mind alert when it should be quieting.
Addressing the teenage sleep crisis will take more than just limiting social media use
Educational programs can help parents set digital boundaries at home. Schools can teach media literacy alongside sleep health education and implement later school start times. Such multilevel efforts could reinforce the understanding that protecting sleep requires action at the individual, family, institutional, and societal levels.
Australia’s decision has already sparked debate. But whatever one’s position on the specifics, it signals a recognition that societal sleep loss is not an inexorable problem. It is a consequence of the social structures and environments we’ve built, and that are within our power to change.

12/02/2026

Women report poorer sleep than men, and oral contraceptive (OC) users appear to experience poorer sleep quality, in particular disrupted sleep, relative to non-users, potentially related to disruption of the circadian rhythm of cortisol.
This study reports modestly poorer sleep in healthy OC users compared to NC women, but no differences in sleep between NC women and men.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453025002203?via%3Dihub