Association of weekday sleep duration and estimated glucose

How Much Sleep Do You Need to Keep Your Blood Sugar Healthy?

About 7 hours and 18 minutes per night. A large study of 23,475 adults found that this specific sleep duration is the metabolic sweet spot for insulin sensitivity. Sleeping less or more than this amount was linked to greater insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes. The study also found that 1 to 2 hours of weekend catch-up sleep can help if you are short on sleep during the week, but overdoing it backfires.

Read more

Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Brain Function and Health

Can Creatine Supplements Improve Brain Health?

Yes. This narrative review found that creatine supplementation has the ability to increase brain creatine levels in humans and shows promise for reducing symptoms of concussion, mild traumatic brain injury, and depression. However, its effects on neurodegenerative diseases appear to be lacking based on current evidence.

When most people hear “creatine,” they think of bodybuilders and athletes. And for good reason. The vast majority of creatine research has focused on skeletal muscle, where it helps supply energy during intense exercise. But there is a growing body of research looking at what creatine can do for the brain. Your brain is one of the most energy-demanding organs in your body, and creatine plays a direct role in how brain cells produce and store that energy. This review pulls together what we currently know about creatine supplementation and brain function, covering everything from cognition to concussion recovery to mental health.

Read more

Single Dose Creatine Boosts Cognitive Performance

Can a Single Dose of Creatine Protect Your Brain During Sleep Deprivation?

Yes. A study published in Scientific Reports found that a single high dose of creatine monohydrate improved cognitive performance and processing speed during 21 hours of sleep deprivation. The same dose also triggered measurable changes in brain energy metabolism, suggesting that creatine can partially reverse the mental fatigue caused by lost sleep.

Most of us know creatine as a gym supplement for building muscle. But creatine also plays a critical role in brain energy. Your brain is one of the most energy-hungry organs in your body, and it relies on phosphocreatine to recycle ATP, the molecule that fuels nearly every cellular process. When you are sleep deprived, your brain’s energy balance shifts in harmful ways, leading to slower thinking, worse memory, and reduced processing speed. This study tested whether a single dose of creatine could counteract some of those effects, and the results were encouraging.

Read more

Insomnia Plus Sleep Apnea Raises Heart Disease Risk Nearly 4-Fold

Can Insomnia and Sleep Apnea Together Cause Heart Disease?

Yes. A massive study of 937,598 U.S. veterans found that having both insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea, a combination called COMISA, was linked to a 3.8-fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a 2.4-fold increased risk of developing high blood pressure. These risks were far greater than having either sleep problem alone.

Most doctors treat insomnia and sleep apnea as separate problems. You might get a sleeping pill for one and a CPAP machine for the other. But this study from the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that when these two conditions overlap, the danger to your heart jumps dramatically. The researchers are now calling for both conditions to be screened together as part of routine cardiovascular risk assessment.

Read more

Small Changes in Sleep, Exercise, and Diet Linked to 9 Extra Years of Life

Can Tiny Changes in Sleep, Exercise, and Diet Really Add Years to Your Life?

Yes. A study of 59,078 adults found that just 5 extra minutes of sleep, 2 minutes more of brisk walking, and half an extra serving of vegetables per day were associated with one additional year of life. When all three behaviors were optimized together, participants gained over 9 years of lifespan and healthspan compared to those with the poorest habits.

Read more

Sleep-Aligned Extended Overnight Fasting Improves Nighttime

Can Timing Your Last Meal Around Sleep Improve Heart and Metabolic Health?

Yes. A Northwestern Medicine study found that stopping eating at least three hours before bedtime and extending the overnight fast by about two hours lowered nighttime blood pressure by 3.5% and heart rate by 5%. The intervention also improved how the body handles blood sugar during the day.

This 7.5-week study included 39 overweight or obese adults aged 36 to 75. Researchers aligned the fasting window with each person’s natural sleep-wake cycle, a key factor in heart and metabolic health. Participants did not change how much they ate, only when they ate. The study was published February 12, 2026 in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (American Heart Association).

Read more

Parkinson's disease as a somato-cognitive action network disorder

Could a Newly Discovered Brain Network Explain Parkinson’s Disease?

Yes. A large international study of 863 patients found that a brain network called the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN) is central to Parkinson’s disease. When treatments targeted this network directly, symptom improvement more than doubled compared to targeting other brain areas.

Parkinson’s disease has always been hard to explain. It starts with sleep problems and digestive issues. Then it moves to tremors, stiffness, and trouble walking. It even affects thinking and motivation. No single brain region can account for all of that, and that has puzzled researchers for decades.

Read more

One Week of Sleep Restriction Reduces Testosterone by 15% in Young Men

Does Sleep Restriction Lower Testosterone in Young Men?

Yes, and the decline is rapid and significant. This controlled study found that just one week of sleep restriction to 5 hours per night reduced daytime testosterone levels by 10-15% in healthy young men. The testosterone decline was equivalent to aging 10-15 years, demonstrating that sleep loss can rapidly age the male hormonal system. The research reveals that adequate sleep is essential for maintaining optimal testosterone production and male reproductive health.

Read more