Causes, treatments, and coping strategies for acute and chronic insomnia disorders.
11 articlesA study of nearly 3,000 adults finds night shift workers face an 88% higher risk of long COVID, chronic insomnia raises risk by 42%, and the two combined nearly triple it — pointing to circadian disruption as a driver of who fails to recover.
A University of Missouri study of older adults found that keeping consistent daily routines — not sleep quality itself — was linked to lower physical pain and fewer depressive symptoms, even among those with chronic insomnia.
An 80-patient randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that oral capsules containing fecal microbes from healthy donors improved sleep efficiency and cut nighttime wakefulness in adults with chronic insomnia, with benefits lasting up to six months.
A randomized trial presented at SLEEP 2026 found that reishi mushroom extract reduced insomnia severity scores by 8.7 points over 8 weeks, compared with 5.6 points for melatonin — a statistically significant difference that challenges assumptions about natural sleep aids.
Data presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting in Baltimore shows that successfully treating chronic insomnia with cognitive behavioral therapy produces measurable reductions in blood pressure, cortisol, and inflammatory markers — evidence that insomnia treatment may double as cardiovascular risk reduction.
The AASM recommends combining CBT-I with sleep medication over medication alone — but not over CBT-I alone, reinforcing behavioral therapy as the foundation of insomnia treatment.
A Washington State University study tracking 112 adults over eight weeks found that chronic insomnia patients slept nearly the same total hours as healthy controls — but showed significantly greater night-to-night variability in sleep efficiency, onset latency, and overnight wakefulness.
A randomized pilot trial published in the journal Menopause shows that CBT redesigned specifically for menopausal insomnia improves both sleep and hot flash interference — but the benefits fade after three months, pointing to the need for ongoing reinforcement.
A study of 2,750 older adults found that chronic insomnia was associated with a 40% higher risk of developing dementia or mild cognitive impairment — the equivalent of 3.5 additional years of brain aging — along with visible changes on brain imaging.
A clinical trial of more than 300 participants found that SHUTi OASIS, the first digital insomnia program designed specifically for adults over 55, produced sleep improvements that lasted at least a year—two to three times better than standard online education.
A new study suggests that tracking daytime symptoms like fatigue and mood through smartphone apps may be more effective than traditional sleep diaries for determining whether insomnia medications are working.
