Mental health
Insomnia combined with sleep apnea associated with worse memory in older women
Older women with both insomnia and sleep apnoea show worse verbal memory than those with sleep apnoea alone, a new study has found.
The research revealed that older adults with comorbid insomnia and sleep apnoea, often referred to as COMISA, demonstrated worse memory performance than those with sleep apnoea alone. Sleep apnoea is a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.
However, when analysed by sex, the association was only significant in women, not men.
The study, conducted by researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine, involved 110 older adults aged 65 to 83 diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea.
Participants completed an overnight sleep study and cognitive testing. COMISA was present in 37 per cent of participants.
Lead author Breanna Holloway, a postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego School of Medicine, said: “We expected that having both insomnia and sleep apnoea would worsen memory for everyone, but only older women showed this vulnerability.
“That was striking, especially because women typically outperform men on verbal memory tasks.
“The fact that COMISA seemed to offset that advantage hints at a hidden sleep-related pathway to cognitive decline in women.
“Prior studies have shown increased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease in women with untreated sleep apnoea.”
The researchers suggest sex differences in sleep architecture may explain the vulnerability observed in women.
Post hoc analyses revealed that women with COMISA had reduced rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the stage associated with dreaming and memory consolidation, and more slow wave (deep) sleep compared with men.
Holloway said: “These results point to an overlooked risk in women with both insomnia and sleep apnoea.”
“Because women are more likely to have insomnia and often go undiagnosed for sleep apnoea, recognising and treating COMISA early could help protect memory and reduce dementia risk.”
The researchers noted that the findings support sex-specific screening and treatment strategies.
A new study is the first to systematically examine how severe menstrual symptoms affect working life, exposing a major research gap and the need for more inclusive policies.
Researchers analysed global studies to identify common themes and to map the challenges women face at work.
The work, led by the University of Portsmouth, highlights how little research exists on workplace menstrual health despite evidence that 25 per cent of women experience severe symptoms.
These include cramps, breast tenderness, mood changes, headaches, fatigue and back pain, alongside heavy bleeding, painful periods, anaemia (low red blood cells), irregular cycles, fibroids (non-cancerous growths) and endometriosis (tissue similar to the womb lining growing outside the uterus).
Lead author Amtullah Oluwakanyinsola Adegoke said: “We need to recognise that women and girls menstruate – it’s a natural part of life.
“As members of society, their needs should be acknowledged as part of the life cycle.
“While menopause awareness has grown, menstrual health and endometriosis are still not widely understood.”
While analysing previous data, the researchers found a survey of more than 42,000 women aged 15 to 45 which revealed that one in three experienced symptoms severe enough to interfere with daily activities, including work.
Researchers identified three themes: impact on women’s workplace wellbeing and quality of life; presenteeism and absenteeism linked to symptoms; and organisational practices, policies and menstrual health inclusion programmes.
The study found that supported employees are more productive, take fewer sick days, stay in their roles longer and engage more.
Poor menstrual health support can lead to depression, poor concentration, reduced performance and an overall negative effect on wellbeing.
Only 18 per cent of organisations include some form of menstrual health support within their wellbeing initiatives, and just 12 per cent provide dedicated support.
Professor Karen Johnston from the University of Portsmouth said: “Menstrual health remains a largely neglected area of research.
“The majority of existing studies in medical journals focus on clinical aspects, highlighting the need to use menopause research to support the argument for menstruation. Although other topics have received increased attention in the UK, menstrual health continues to be underexplored.
“It shouldn’t be a taboo topic – it should be part of an organisation’s health and wellbeing agenda.
“Alongside training, organisations should explore flexible working and ways to support employees experiencing severe menstrual problems.”
The study emphasised the importance of creating more inclusive workplaces through supportive measures such as menstrual leave, flexible working, access to hygiene products and encouraging open conversations.
In the UK, there is no legal requirement for paid menstrual leave, so employees typically use standard sick leave.
Maternal stress hormones in pregnancy are linked to earlier tooth eruption, with infants showing about four more teeth on average by six months, new research has revealed.
Researchers studied 142 mothers from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds who were pregnant between 2017 and 2022.
They measured hormone levels in saliva during late pregnancy, including cortisol, sex hormones and thyroid hormones.
University of Rochester researchers then tracked when babies’ milk teeth emerged through regular dental checks at one, two, four, six, 12, 18 and 24 months after birth.
Women with the highest cortisol levels had babies with an average of four more teeth at six months compared with those with the lowest levels.
By six months, 15 per cent of infants had between one and six erupted teeth, while 97.5 per cent had between one and 12 teeth by their first birthday.
The study included mothers from varied backgrounds, with 52 per cent of children identified as African-American, 60 per cent of mothers having a high school education or lower, and 53 per cent employed.
While 36.6 per cent of women had depression or anxiety diagnoses during pregnancy, this was not directly linked to hormone levels or tooth eruption timing.
Dr Ying Meng, associate professor at the School of Nursing, said: “High maternal cortisol during late pregnancy may alter foetal growth and mineral metabolism, including the regulation of levels of calcium and vitamin D, both essential for mineralisation of bone and teeth.
“Cortisol is also known to influence the activity of so-called osteoblast and osteoclast cells, responsible for building up, shaping and remodelling bone.”
The findings suggest prenatal stress accelerates biological ageing in children.
Premature tooth eruption could serve as an early warning sign of compromised oral development and overall health linked to socioeconomic deprivation and prenatal stress.
Researchers also found weaker associations between maternal sex hormones, including oestradiol and testosterone, and greater tooth numbers at 12 months.
Similar links appeared between progesterone and testosterone levels and tooth count at 24 months, and between the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine and teeth at 18 and 24 months.
Meng said: “These results are further evidence that prenatal stress can speed up biological ageing in children.
“Premature eruption of teeth could thus serve as an early warning sign of an infant’s compromised oral development and overall health, associated with socioeconomic deprivation and prenatal stress.
“We still have key questions that need answering, for example which maternal hormones or downstream developmental pathways drive the change in the timing of tooth eruption, what the exact relationship is between accelerated eruption of teeth and biological ageing and development, and what such speeding up says about a child’s general health.”
Researchers are probing why breast cancer patients face lasting fatigue after treatment, with exhaustion affecting up to 90 per cent during therapy.
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) — persistent tiredness not eased by rest — can affect mood, activity and work life. Many survivors report symptoms for months or years after treatment.
A University of Brighton team is exploring whether cancer and its treatments alter how the brain reads body signals, potentially increasing exhaustion.
“Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most distressing, frustrating and least understood side effects of cancer treatment.” said Dr Jeanne Dekerle, principal investigator.
“We want to understand why it affects some patients more than others, and how this influences their ability to be active.”
“If we can understand the brain’s role in fatigue, we can help people recover faster, feel more energetic and live more fully after cancer.”
The study will recruit approximately 80 women aged 18 to 60, divided into groups of breast cancer survivors experiencing CRF and healthy women of similar ages.
Researchers aim to find out whether those with cancer-related exhaustion perceive body signals differently from healthy individuals.
The team hopes the findings will inform development of personalised treatments and exercise programmes tailored to patients’ needs.
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