Articles

Consumer sleep trackers have come a long way — but sleep specialists say there's still a lot they miss.

You wake up, check your app, and it tells you exactly how much deep sleep you got. Feels pretty official, right? The truth is, your wrist-worn tracker is making an educated guess — and for most healthy adults, that's fine. But for people with real sleep problems, that guess can fall short in important ways.

A large new study suggests that people with Parkinson's who stay more physically active may experience a slower decline in motor and cognitive function.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, you know the condition can feel relentless. But new research points to something within reach that may help slow the journey — and it starts with getting moving.

You don't need an hour at the gym to hold on to your muscle — here's what the research actually says.

Most people assume meaningful strength training requires a serious time commitment. A full hour, a weight room, a personal trainer. But a growing body of research suggests that even short bouts of resistance exercise — as little as 10 minutes — may deliver real benefits for adults over 40 who want to protect their strength and independence as they age.

If you take medication for epilepsy or certain other conditions, your birth control may not be working as well as you think.

Most women assume that if they take their birth control pill every day, they're protected. But for women on certain common epilepsy medications, that assumption can be dangerously wrong. Some of the most widely prescribed seizure drugs can quietly reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives — and many women have never been told.

New research links everyday exposure to phthalates — chemicals found in plastics, fragrances, and personal care products — to reduced ovarian reserve in women.

You might not be able to see them, smell them, or taste them. But phthalates, a family of chemicals used to make plastics flexible and to help fragrances last longer, may be quietly affecting women's reproductive health. A growing body of research, including a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, suggests that higher levels of phthalate exposure are linked to lower ovarian reserve — a measure of how many viable eggs a woman has remaining. Here's what the science actually says, and what women can do with that information.

A newly identified drug target may offer a way to quiet the runaway brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Most of us think of inflammation as something that happens in a sore knee or a scratchy throat. But deep inside the brain, a slower, quieter form of inflammation may be driving two of the most feared diseases of aging. Now, researchers say they may have found a way to target it.

Science is finding that the breaks you take may be just as important to your brain as the studying, practicing, or problem-solving you do.

You've probably been told to push through, stay focused, and keep grinding. But a growing body of research suggests your brain may do some of its most important work the moment you stop. Brief rest periods after learning appear to help the brain replay and lock in new information — and skipping them could mean losing more than you realize.

The same compound that makes some people feel calm can send others into a spiral of worry — and neuroscience is starting to explain why.

You've probably heard someone say cannabis helps them unwind. You may also know someone whose experience was the opposite — heart racing, thoughts spiraling, convinced something was terribly wrong. Both reactions are real. And the reason they happen comes down to what cannabis does inside one of the brain's most ancient structures: the amygdala.

New research suggests adults diagnosed with ADHD may face a meaningfully higher risk of developing dementia later in life — and understanding why could open important doors for prevention.

Most people think of ADHD as a childhood condition that kids eventually grow out of. But millions of adults live with it every day — and a growing body of research suggests the stakes may be higher than previously understood. A large study published in JAMA Neurology found that adults with ADHD had a significantly elevated risk of developing dementia compared to adults without the condition. Here is what the science actually shows, what it does not prove yet, and what you can do with this information today.

Researchers who study the world's longest-lived people found a surprisingly simple pattern in what they drink each day.

You might assume that living past 100 requires some expensive supplement stack or a complicated health protocol. But researchers studying Blue Zones — the five regions of the world where people consistently live the longest — found that what centenarians drink every day is remarkably simple. Here's what they reach for, and why it may matter more than you think.

New research suggests your evening soak may do more for your heart than you think — but the full story is worth knowing.

You already know that regular exercise is good for your heart. But what if one of the most relaxing things you do each week is also quietly working in your favor? Research has explored whether regular hot baths might offer some of the same cardiovascular benefits as moderate exercise — and the findings are genuinely surprising.

New research suggests that what you eat while taking antibiotics may matter just as much as the antibiotics themselves when it comes to protecting your gut.

Most people focus on finishing their full course of antibiotics and maybe taking a probiotic afterward. But a growing body of research suggests the story is more complicated — and that the sugar on your plate could be working against your recovery from the inside out.

New research suggests that families who begin planning and support earlier in the dementia journey may see significantly better outcomes — for both patients and caregivers.

Most families wait until a crisis to act. But when it comes to dementia, waiting may cost more than anyone realizes. A growing body of research points to a window of opportunity early in the disease — one that most families are missing.

Researchers are finding that subtle changes in how you speak may reveal brain changes long before memory problems appear.

You probably think of dementia as something doctors detect through memory tests or brain scans. But a growing body of research suggests your voice may give you away first — sometimes years before any other symptoms show up. Here is what the science says, and what it might mean for early detection.