Sleep patterns linked to overactive bladder and mental health risks

A study of 6,603 U.S. adults from the 2011‑2014 NHANES survey, using wrist‑worn accelerometers, found that disrupted sleep quality and irregular circadian rhythms increase the likelihood of overactive bladder (OAB). The research, conducted by scientists at Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine in China, was published in *Neurourology and Urodynamics*.

Another investigation presented at the SLEEP 2026 conference in the United States reported that individuals who habitually go to bed late (evening chronotype) experience higher levels of anxiety, greater feelings of loneliness, and overall poorer mental health. Lead researcher Alec Harlow of Brigham Young University highlighted that nighttime loneliness mediates the link between late sleep timing and increased anxiety.