Latest Research and Development: Share insights into recent research on sleep aids, including new medications, treatment modalities, or technological innovations

The average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep every night.

Treatment Modalities

Current treatment modalities for insomnia include non-pharmacological therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and pharmacological therapy.¹

FDA-Approved Agents for Insomnia:

Off-label Use Agents for Insomnia: Antidepressants (e.g. doxepin, amitriptyline, nortriptyline, trazodone), over the counter (e.g. diphenhydramine, doxylamine), supplements (e.g. valerian), and other medications may be used off-label for insomnia.

Emerging Trends

In a study of 17,859 participants, a healthier sleep pattern, including 7–9 hours of sleep per night and fewer difficulties sleeping, was strongly associated with fewer depressive symptoms. The study also found that among individuals with poor sleep patterns, depressive symptoms were more frequent in females than males.²

Importantly, the relationship between sleep and mental illness is bidirectional, meaning that mental health conditions can disrupt sleep, while persistent sleep disturbances may also contribute to the development or worsening of psychiatric symptoms. This relationship extends beyond depression, with sleep disturbances also closely associated with anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

As researchers continue to uncover the shared biological pathways between sleep and mental health, there is growing opportunity to develop more targeted sleep therapies and novel mechanisms of action that go beyond traditional sedative-hypnotic approaches, potentially offering more individualized treatment options for patients with sleep disorders and psychiatric comorbidities.

FDA-cleared wearable technologies for insomnia include the 2breathe Sleep Inducer, ActiGraph LEAP, and Owlet, which can support relaxation or monitor sleep-related patterns. However, most commercially available sleep wearables are primarily intended for wellness or sleep tracking, and evidence supporting their effectiveness as treatments for insomnia remains limited.

Most Recent Approvals

The development of orexin-targeting therapies represents an important advancement in the treatment of insomnia.

The most recent FDA-approved medications for insomnia are suvorexant, lemborexant, and daridorexant, with daridorexant being the newest, receiving FDA approval in 2022.

These medications belong to the newer class of dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), which target both orexin receptor types 1 and 2. By blocking the wake-promoting effects of orexin, DORAs can help patients both fall asleep and remain asleep.

Research is continuing to expand beyond DORAs, with selective orexin-2 receptor antagonists (OX2RAs) such as seltorexant being investigated for insomnia and psychiatric conditions. In Phase 3 clinical trials, seltorexant demonstrated improvements in sleep disturbances among patients with major depressive disorder, highlighting the potential for orexin-targeting therapies to address both sleep symptoms and mental health conditions.³

Research Advancement

Research in sleep is also advancing toward the use of large-scale, population-level data to better understand how sleep behaviors influence long-term health outcomes.⁴ Analysis of county-level data collected from 2019–2025 through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) has identified a significant association between sleep patterns and life expectancy. These findings highlight the potential importance of sleep as a broader public health factor and demonstrate how large-scale real-world data can help researchers better understand the long-term impact of sleep on overall health and longevity.⁵

Researchers are moving towards individualized treatment based on sleep patterns, comorbidities, age, and other medications. They are moving away from increasing central nervous system inhibition and moving towards modulating the body’s natural sleep-wake pathways, such as DORAs.

References

1. Research Update on Sleep. Stanford Center on Longevity. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://longevity.stanford.edu/research-update-on-sleep/
2. Chunnan L, Shaomei S, Wannian L. The association between sleep and depressive symptoms in US adults: data from the NHANES (2007–2014). Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences. 2022;31:e63. doi:10.1017/S2045796022000452
3. Giara K. What’s New in Sleep Medicine? MedCentral. 2024. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://www.medcentral.com/behavioral-mental/sleep-disorders/whats-new-in-sleep-medicine
4. McAuliffe KE, Wary MR, Pleas GV, Pugmire J, Lysiak C, Dieckmann NF, Shafer BM, McHill AW. Sleep insufficiency and life expectancy at the state-county level in the United States, 2019-2025. SLEEP Advances. 2025. doi:10.1093/sleepadvances/zpaf090
5. Robinson E. Insufficient sleep associated with decreased life expectancy. OHSU News. December 8, 2025. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://news.ohsu.edu/2025/12/08/insufficient-sleep-associated-with-decreased-life-expectancy