ArcaMax

REM (rapid eye movement) is a sleep stage that happens four to six times a night. During REM, your body is immobilized, you have rapid eye movement (hence REM) and you dream. If you're sleeping well, it accounts for 20% to 25% of your sleep time.

REM sleep is an essential part of maintaining the health of your brain and body. You see, while you...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 68-year-old female who's in great health, except for cholesterol levels that are a tad high. In January, I was diagnosed with a prolapsed bladder. My gynecologist said it was stage 1, and therapy will be able to help. I've been through physical therapy and done pelvic floor exercises, but they don't seem to be helping.

...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent column on people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) needing to urinate more than others. What about those who have central sleep apnea (CSA)? I'm a 74-year-old male who's taking medications for an enlarged prostate, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, which are all under control. I urinate maybe twice ...Read more

Light sneaking into your bedroom under a closed door or from city-glow and moonlight shining around (or through) your curtains is risky business, according to a study in the European Heart Journal. Researchers looked at data from more than 11,000 folks who wore light sensors on their wrists for seven days, and then three years later had a ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 74 and have sleep apnea. I've used a CPAP device for over 20 years. Over the past four to five years, I've been awakened several times each night with a seriously dry mouth. I will get a drink, use the bathroom, and get right back to sleep, only to have the same thing happen over and over again.

I've used several ...Read more

Studies suggest that approximately 50% of women experience depressive symptoms during the menopausal transition. And that doesn't count how grumpy menopause-related hot flashes, anxiety, irritability, fuzzy thinking and sleep disturbances can make you!

These kinds of mood swings, both transitory and chronic, result from menopause-triggered ...Read more

Dementia isn't a uniquely human trait. With age, dogs and cats can also experience cognitive dysfunction.

In dogs, it can happen as early as 8 years old, with roughly 10% of dogs affected at that age. The percentage increases with age. In cats, symptoms typically emerge around age 10.

Researchers at Texas A&M University's College of ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a healthy, active 69-year-old female. I've had problems with constipation for several years,and it's recently worsened. When I had my first colonoscopy, the doctor at the time, who'd been doing colonoscopies for 50 years, told me that I had the longest colon he'd ever seen.

When I had my second (and most recent) ...Read more

Fatigue -- that feeling of mental or physical exhaustion that doesn't go away with sleep or rest -- is epidemic in the U.S., according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. A survey of 27, 000 folks age 18 and older reveals that 70% of you feel fatigue in a day; 20% of you feel fatigued all day; 35% say most of the day; and...Read more

Ten million Americans have osteoporosis (brittle bone disease) and another 44 million have low bone density, aka osteopenia, putting them at risk for life-altering bone fractures to their hips, spine and more. In fact, 50% of women and up to 25% of men will break a bone -- or multiple bones -- in their lifetime due to osteoporosis!

Those ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you give me information about laryngopharyngeal reflux? I develop a croaky voice at times and have lots of mucus in the morning (which doesn't get coughed up), among other things. Is diet alone enough to remedy the problem? I'm going in for a vocal cord vibration test. -- M.M.

ANSWER: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)...Read more

According to the World Health Organization, vaccines prevent 3.5 million to 5 million deaths worldwide each year. In the U.S., however, routine vaccination rates among children are dropping, while vaccine exemptions have reached record highs.

U.S. measles cases, mostly involving children, have surged to a 35-year high in 2026.

The personal ...Read more

With the demand for plant-based proteins growing, researchers say the next big source may be growing in a pot in your house or backyard: marigolds.

Marigold flowers contain about as much protein as conventional plant protein sources like quinoa, but marigold protein also has several key traits that may make it particularly well suited to the ...Read more

The number of Americans who are pursuing their lives childfree is growing. The reasons include greater reproductive autonomy, higher costs of living and shifting social norms. More people are prioritizing values like personal freedom, career goals and mental health over having kids -- god bless 'em.

But these childfree folks are not evenly ...Read more

Cross off another speculative cause of autism recently voiced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who claimed infant circumcision doubles the rate of autism, speculating without proof that the use of post-procedure acetaminophen (Tylenol) as a painkiller was part of the reason.

Kennedy alluded to a pair of ...Read more

Rocketing into the heavens comes with a lot of glory and positive returns, but there is one well-known problem for astronauts in space: constipation. It's not something you'll find on a NASA brochure.

Researchers wanted to know why and examined blood samples from 52 astronauts who had participated in monthslong missions to the International ...Read more