What about sound machines and sleep apps? Read more in EMFSA February 2026 EMF Updates

More topics:

• What is the primary signal that regulates the body’s internal clock and why does it matter?

How does this relate to signals to the brain and normal biological processes that are essential for recovery and long-term health?

• Social jetlag affects almost everyone today because artificial light allows people to extend their evenings, staying awake and active long after it’s dark outside. However, this extra evening light blurs the natural difference between day and night, shifts our internal clocks later, and makes “late sleepers” more common. As a result, many people’s biological clocks don’t match their social schedules, creating widespread social jetlag. This is why many people feel sleepy in the morning or stay up late on weekends. 

A recent study of over 3,500 adolescents found that irregular sleep schedules—sometimes called “social jet lag”—are associated with altered brain structure and connectivity.

• The European Union has restricted Chinese institutions from participating in certain Horizon Europe projects. What will the fallout be?

• Mobile radiation on green roofs 

Transitioning toward vertical urbanization

Public concerns about fairness and environmental impact.

The need for evidence-based communication strategies that clearly convey the risks and benefits of technologies like 5G.

What does a pesticide have in common with RF electromagnetic fields?

How do modern 4G & 5G systems adjust their emissions?

A study examined whether mobile phone use and proximity to base stations are associated with changes in blood parameters. What did the authors find?

A large cohort study found an association between higher residential magnetic field exposure and increased dementia mortality. Does this prove that magnetic fields cause Alzheimer’s disease?

• Are biofilms always bad?

For further exploration: https://www.emfsa.co.za/research-and-studies/photobiomodulation-for-alzheimers-disease-has-the-light-dawned/

In Memoriam

It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of Tracey-Lee Dorny, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was a passionate advocate for the rights of people living with Electrohypersensitivity. Her legacy will endure. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her friends and family.

Link to EMFSA February 2026 EMF Updates https://mailchi.mp/emfsa/emfsa-february-2026-newsletter

References

REM sleep: What is it, why is it important, and how can you get more of it? – Harvard Health Publishing

Pink noise reduces REM sleep and may harm sleep quality

Full study: Basner M, Smith MG, Cordoza M, et al. Efficacy of pink noise and earplugs for mitigating the effects of intermittent environmental noise exposure on sleep. Sleep, 2026;, zsag001, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsag001

Medscape, How Nighttime Light Quietly Became a Serious Health Threat (2026)

PsychPost article 
Matthew Risner, Eliot S Katz, Catherine Stamoulis, Social jet lag has detrimental effects on hallmark characteristics of adolescent brain structure, circuit organization, and intrinsic dynamics, Sleep, 2025; zsaf392. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsaf392

Nature: Europe bars China from Horizon research programmes
Reuters: EU moves to phase out Chinese suppliers from critical infrastructure

Virto, L. R., Saba, P., Thielens, A., Czerwiński, M., & Um, P. N. (2025). Digital Sustainability Trade-Offs: Public Perceptions of Mobile Radiation and Green Roofs. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 56, 720-762. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.05628
Read the full study here

Laldinpuii, Sailo, L., Weller, S., Varte, C. L., Tochhawng, L., Bandara, P., … Zothansiama. (2026). Effects of exposure to nearby mobile phone base stations and mobile phone usage on human blood parameters. Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 1–20. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15368378.2026.2623473

Nekane Sandoval-Diez, Nicolas Loizeau, Anke Huss, Martin Röösli, Danielle Vienneau, Long-term residential magnetic field exposure and neurodegenerative disease mortality: An 18-year nationwide cohort study in Switzerland, Environment International, Volume 208, 2026, 110145, ISSN 0160-4120, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2026.110145.
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412026001030

Baxter, K.J., Sas, E., Clark, K.B. et al. Biofilms: from the cradle of life to life support. npj Biofilms Microbiomes 12, 11 (2026).  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41522-025-00875-8

Published 28th March 2026 by EMFSA

The post EMFSA February 2026 EMF Updates appeared first on EMFSA.

At night our bedrooms need to be a sanctuary, free of man made pollution such as EMF, light, noise, and chemical exposures.

Some diffusers use household power to operate and may potentially expose you to electric and magnetic fields when used in close proximity.

 As a precaution ensure that a minimum distance of 1 meter is kept between you, the electric wiring to the diffuser, and the diffuser itself.

The same advice applies to multiplugs, bedside lights and electric chargers.

For nightime a free and highly effective solution is to switch the power off (at the distribution board) to the bedroom.  This should include lighting circuits, as well as the adjacent rooms and any spaces directly below the bedroom.

A battery powered diffuser might be a better option.

Additionally, when using a diffuser, ensure the room is well-ventilated to maintain fresh air and prevent any buildup of essential oils that might cause irritation or discomfort.

By following these guidelines, one can minimize EMF exposure and create a more health-conscious sleeping environment.

The post Electrical Household Diffusers appeared first on EMFSA.

Abstract

Intensive neurological assessments in neurocritical care settings for unduly prolonged period result in profound sleep deprivation in those patients that confounds the true neurological status of these patients, and the mounting apprehension in providers can beget a vicious cycle of even more intensive neurological assessments resulting in further sleep deprivation from being constantly woken up to be “assessed.” This iatrogenic state drives these patients into deep sleep stages that impact spontaneous breathing trials, weaken immunity, and lead to unwarranted investigations and interventions. There is dwindling value of prolonged frequent neurochecks beyond the initial 24–48 h of an intracranial event. We insist that sleep must be considered on at least an equal par to other functions that are routinely assessed. We reason that therapeutic sleep must be allowed to these patients in suitable amounts especially beyond the first 36–48 h to achieve ideal and swift recovery. This merits a paradigm shift.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34220667/

The post The Fundamental Need for Sleep in Neurocritical Care Units: Time for a Paradigm Shift appeared first on EMFSA.

Abstract

Healthy sleep supports robust development of the brain and behavior. Modern society presents a host of challenges that can impair and disrupt critical circadian rhythms that reinforce optimal physiological functioning, including the proper timing and consolidation of sleep. While the acute effects of inadequate sleep and disrupted circadian rhythms are being defined, the adverse developmental consequences of disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms are understudied. Here, we exposed mice to disrupting light–dark cycles from birth until weaning and demonstrate that such exposure has adverse impacts on brain and behavior as adults. Mice that experience early-life circadian disruption exhibit more anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze, poorer spatial memory in the Morris Water Maze, and impaired working memory in a delayed match-to-sample task. Additionally, neuron morphology in the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex is adversely impacted. Pyramidal cells in these areas had smaller dendritic fields, and pyramidal cells in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus also exhibited diminished branching orders. Disrupted mice were also hyperactive as adults, but otherwise exhibited no alteration in adult circadian locomotor rhythms. These results highlight that circadian disruption early in life may have long lasting and far-reaching consequences for the development of behavior and the brain.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35513413/

The post Early life circadian rhythm disruption in mice alters brain and behavior in adulthood appeared first on EMFSA.

Abstract

Insufficient sleep and mistimed sleep are prominent, yet under-appreciated and understudied, contributors to poor mental health and to mental disorders. The evidence that improving sleep and circadian functioning is an important pathway to mental health continues to mount. The goal of this paper is to highlight three major challenges ahead. Challenge 1 points to the possibility that comorbidity is the norm not the exception for the sleep and circadian disorders that are associated with mental disorders. Hence, the sleep and circadian problems experienced by people diagnosed with a mental disorder may not fit into the neat diagnostic categories of existing nosologies nor be adequately treated with single disorder approaches. The Sleep Health Framework and the Transdiagnostic Intervention for Sleep and Circadian Dysfunction (TranS-C) are discussed as alternative approaches. Challenge 2 points to the large time lag between the development of a treatment and the availability of that treatment in routine clinical practice. This is a key reason for the emergence of implementation science, which is a flourishing, well-developed, and quickly moving field. There is an urgent need for more applications of implementation science within sleep and circadian science. Challenge 3 describes one of the greatest puzzles of our time—the need to unlock the fundamental elements of behavior change. There is potential to harness the science of behavior change to encourage widespread engagement in sleep health behavior and thereby reduce the staggering burden of sleep and circadian problems and the associated mental health problems.

The post Treating sleep and circadian problems to promote mental health: perspectives on comorbidity, implementation science and behavior change appeared first on EMFSA.

Abstract

Sleep is intrinsically tied to mental and overall health. Short sleep duration accompanies the modern lifestyle, possibly reaching epidemic proportions. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns determined a fundamental shift in the modern lifestyle and had profound effects on sleep and mental health. This paper aims to provide an overview of the relationship between sleep, mental health and COVID-19. Contrasting outcomes on sleep health have been highlighted by most reports during the pandemic in the general population. Consequently, while longer sleep durations have been reported, this change was accompanied by decreases in sleep quality and altered sleep timing. Furthermore, an increased impact of sleep deficiencies and mental health burden was generally reported in health care workers as compared with the adult general population. Although not among the most frequent symptoms during the acute or persistent phase, an increased prevalence of sleep deficiencies has been reported in patients with acute and long COVID. The importance of sleep in immune regulation is well known. Consequently, sleep deficiencies may influence multiple aspects of COVID-19, such as the risk, severity, and prognosis of the infection and even vaccine response.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3497/htm

The post Time to Sleep?—A Review of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sleep and Mental Health appeared first on EMFSA.

http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1009994

The findings provide a mechanism that links Alzheimer’s disease with circadian rhythm disruptions

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

Researchers report that the immune cells responsible for clearing away a key protein that builds up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease operate according to daily circadian rhythms. The discovery, reported by Jennifer Hurley of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and colleagues in a new study publishing February 10^th in the journal PLOS Genetics, provides a potential explanation for the link between Alzheimer’s disease and disruptions to a person’s sleep cycle. 

Alzheimer’s disease is known to be associated with disruptions in circadian rhythms, the 24-hour cycle that controls many aspects of human behavior and physiology. For example, sleep disruptions begin years before symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear and are linked to more severe symptoms and a higher risk of developing the disease.

Read more at: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/942364

The post Immune cells that clear away Alzheimer’s disease protein are controlled by circadian rhythms appeared first on EMFSA.

Abstract

Sleep is vital to human bodily function. Growing evidence indicates that sleep deprivation, disruption, dysrhythmia, and disorders are associated with impaired reproductive function and poor clinical outcomes in women. These associations are largely mediated by molecular-genetic and hormonal pathways, which are crucial for the complex and time sensitive processes of hormone synthesis/secretion, folliculogenesis, ovulation, fertilization, implantation, and menstruation. Pathologic sleep patterns are closely linked to menstrual irregularity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, premature ovarian insufficiency, sub/infertility, and early pregnancy loss. Measures of success with assisted reproductive technology are also lower among women who engage in shift work, or experience sleep disruption or short sleep duration. Extremes of sleep duration, poor sleep quality, sleep disordered breathing, and shift work are also associated with several harmful conditions in pregnancy, including gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders. While accumulating evidence implicates pathologic sleep patterns in impaired reproductive function and poor reproductive outcomes, additional research is needed to determine causality and propose therapeutic interventions.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35042515/

© 2022. The Author(s).

The post Impact of sleep patterns upon female neuroendocrinology and reproductive outcomes: a comprehensive review appeared first on EMFSA.

Date: November 24, 2021

Source: RCSI

Summary: New research has demonstrated the significant role that an irregular body clock plays in driving inflammation in the body’s immune cells, with implications for the most serious and prevalent diseases in humans.

Snippet:

Dr George Timmons, lead author on the study, said: “Our results add to the growing body of work showing why disruption of our body clock leads to inflammatory and infectious disease, and one of the aspects is fuel usage at the level of key immune cells such as macrophages.”

Dr Annie Curtis, Senior Lecturer at RCSI School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences and senior author on the paper, added: “This study also shows that anything which negatively impacts on our body clocks, such as insufficient sleep and not enough daylight, can impact on the ability of our immune system to work effectively.”

Journal Reference:

1. George A. Timmons, Richard G. Carroll, James R. O’Siorain, Mariana P. Cervantes-Silva, Lauren E. Fagan, Shannon L. Cox, Eva Palsson-McDermott, David K. Finlay, Emma E. Vincent, Nicholas Jones, Annie M. Curtis. The Circadian Clock Protein BMAL1 Acts as a Metabolic Sensor In Macrophages to Control the Production of Pro IL-1β. Frontiers in Immunology, 2021; 12 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.700431

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211124154033.htm

The post Researchers find new link between a disrupted body clock and inflammatory diseases appeared first on EMFSA.

Highlights

•Anxiety was associated with problematic smartphone use and sleep disturbance among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

•Problematic smartphone use could exert not only a direct path on anxiety but also an indirect path on anxiety through the mediating path of sleep disturbance.

•Professional assistance and timely intervention should be provided to alleviate anxiety among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

•The detrimental impact of problematic smartphone use and the importance of sleep health on mitigating anxiety should be highlighted and incorporated into medical education.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032721010545

The post Anxiety and its relationship with sleep disturbance and problematic smartphone use among Chinese medical students during COVID-19 home confinement — A Structural Equation Model Analysis appeared first on EMFSA.