Sleep changes as we age. When we were kids, we needed 10 to 12 hours of sleep, for teens it is eight to 10 and it decreases to seven to nine as we reach adulthood. But there is always a lack of urgency when it comes to sleep and young adults, many of whom prefer staying up and doing different activities. According to the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention, many national surveys show that about 37% of men, and 39% of people from the age of 45 to 64 reported not getting enough sleep.

Many people in America don't sleep the right amount. This means they either sleep too long or not long enough. But what happens to your body when you do not sleep enough? You just feel tired right? No, when you don't get this much sleep, your body can get stressed. This can make you more likely to get sick. A study published by the JAMA Network Open Sleep Trajectories and All-Cause Mortality Among Low-Income Adults showed that people who don't sleep the right amount have a higher chance of dying early. It's like your body needs that time to rest and fix itself. Without enough good sleep, things can start to go wrong. So, getting the right amount of sleep is super important for staying healthy.

How Was The Study Done?

Scientists wanted to see how sleep habits affect people's health over many years. They looked at almost 47,000 people who were between 40 and 79 years old. They asked them about their sleep habits when the study started, and then again, a few years later. The scientists wanted to see if people's sleep habits changed. They divided people into groups based on if they started with too much or too little sleep, and if their sleep changed over time. For example, some people started sleeping a lot but then started sleeping very little. This helped the scientists see how different sleep patterns affected people's health. They wanted to see the long-term effects of sleep.

The study found that people who had sleep habits that changed a lot had a higher risk of dying early. This means if you started sleeping too much and then switched to sleeping too little, or the other way around, you were more likely to die sooner. They also found that these people had a higher risk of heart problems. The risks were even higher for some groups of people, like white adults and people with higher incomes.

Sleep Deprivation And Its Effect On The Body

If you often doze off when you are sitting and reading, watching a movie, talking to someone, sitting quietly after lunch or even during a few minutes of traffic, you may be sleep deprived according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. They explain how sleep deprivation can cause issues with learning, focusing and reacting to certain things. The symptoms of sleep deprivation in kids differ a little as they might be overly active and have trouble paying attention to certain things. If you are experiencing sleep issues, make sure to speak to a healthcare professional who will help you identify the issues and direct you towards the treatment or changes you must make. Here are some ways sleep helps your body.

Repairs Your Heart

Good sleep allows your heart and blood vessels to heal. This keeps them strong and healthy, reducing the risk of heart problems.

Controls Hunger

Sleep helps balance your hunger hormones, so you don't feel too hungry. This helps prevent eating too much and keeps your weight healthy.

Manages Blood Sugar

Proper sleep helps your body use insulin correctly. This lowers the chance of high blood sugar, which can lead to diabetes.

Supports Growth

Deep sleep releases growth hormones, helping kids and teens grow. It also repairs body tissues, which is important for everyone.

Boosts Immunity

When you sleep well, your body's defense system gets stronger. This helps you fight off germs and stay healthy.

Not every medicine carries the same level of risk. Some drugs can trigger reactions that are severe or even life-threatening. When that possibility exists, the manufacturer is required to place a special notice inside the prescribing information. This highlighted section is known as a black box warning.

A black box warning is meant to draw clear attention to the most serious dangers linked to a drug. Many medicines fall under this category. Still, having the warning in place does not automatically make the treatment unsafe. When a drug is used correctly and monitored by a trained professional, the benefits may outweigh the risks.

The sections below outline what an FDA black box warning means, why a medicine might receive one, and how it may influence your treatment plan.

What Is An FDA Black Box Warning And What Does It Signify?

A black box warning is the strongest caution that the FDA can attach to a prescription drug. You might also see it described as a boxed warning.

The presence of this warning does not mean a person should never take the medication. Instead, it alerts doctors and patients to serious potential harm. This information helps clinicians decide who is an appropriate candidate and under what circumstances the drug should be used.

Many medicines with boxed warnings remain the best or only option for certain conditions.

How Serious Is A Black Box Warning?

A drug receives this type of label when it has been linked to outcomes such as permanent injury, hospitalisation, or death. These warnings should be read carefully, and patients should discuss them openly with their healthcare provider.

Doctors follow specific precautions when prescribing drugs that carry this label to minimize unnecessary risk.

Where Can I Find A Drug’s Black Box Warning?

The warning sits at the very top of the medication’s official package insert. Its placement is deliberate so it stands out immediately. The text is printed inside a bold black border, which is how the term “black box” took hold.

You may not always receive the full package insert from the pharmacy. However, you might receive a medication guide if the drug is considered high-risk. These guides describe proper use and highlight major side effects. You can also look up medication guides online.

Information about boxed warnings is available from multiple sources. The FDA website, the drug manufacturer’s website, and medical reference sites used by clinicians all include these details.

How Does A Drug End Up With A Black Box Warning?

Every prescription drug must go through extensive testing before it reaches the market. During this process, researchers aim to uncover risks that could require a boxed warning from the start. Even so, some side effects only appear once large numbers of people begin using the drug in everyday settings.

Because of this, most black box warnings are added after a medicine has already been approved. The FDA continues to monitor safety reports through MedWatch, a program where patients, physicians, and companies can report problems.

These reports are gathered in a database called the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System. When the agency notices a pattern of serious reactions, they investigate. If needed, they update the prescribing information and add a boxed warning so that future users are clearly informed.

People assigned female at birth live with hormone shifts throughout their lives. These chemical messengers guide nearly every system in the body. The swings linked to periods, pregnancy or menopause are easy to recognise, but many other factors can unsettle hormone levels.

The body produces more than fifty hormones through the endocrine system, and changes in any of them can signal a deeper health concern. Low insulin may point toward diabetes. Excess cortisol can influence weight gain. Other hormones, like melatonin, rise and fall through the day as part of normal rhythm. And the gradual drop in estrogen and progesterone as women approach menopause is also expected.

What Causes Hormonal Imbalance?

Puberty, pregnancy and menopause naturally reshape hormone activity. Beyond these, several conditions can disrupt normal patterns. Problems with the adrenal gland, thyroid disorders, eating disorders, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Cushing’s syndrome, diabetes or PCOS can all change your hormone levels. Changes may also stem from stress, certain medicines, tumours, cysts or environmental chemicals.

Interest in hormones has grown recently. Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration agreed to remove the boxed warning on menopause hormone therapy after reviewing the evidence. The decision prompted fresh discussion among women considering treatment. Clinicians say many patients are reaching out with new questions, especially in an era filled with quick tests and supplements marketed as hormone balancers. It can be difficult to tell when testing is truly needed.

Warning Signs Of Hormonal Imbalance

As each hormone plays a different role, symptoms vary widely. These are some of the more frequent changes seen in people, as per UCLA Health.

1. Menstrual changes: Shifts in estrogen and related hormones can alter the monthly cycle. Periods may become heavier, lighter, irregular or go missing. Stress, diet and exercise can contribute as well, but hormonal swings remain a leading cause.

2. Hair changes: Hair often reacts quickly to hormonal shifts. Pregnancy can bring thicker strands, while imbalances may trigger hair thinning or hair growth in unexpected places. Excessive facial hair may suggest elevated androgens. Hair loss can point toward a thyroid concern.

3. Skin Changes: Hormonal shifts can influence skin colour, texture and oil production. Acne may flare during pregnancy due to rising progesterone. Darkened patches of skin may appear on areas like the neck, groin or beneath the breasts when estrogen or progesterone levels change.

4. Sexual and vaginal symptoms: Lower estrogen levels, especially with age, can reduce libido and cause vaginal dryness or pain during intercourse. Some women may experience vaginal atrophy when estrogen remains low for long periods.

5. Weight changes: Sudden weight gain or weight loss can reflect a hormonal issue. Many women notice weight gain after menopause. Thyroid disorders, PCOS and Cushing’s syndrome are also linked to changes in body weight.

6. Mood and sleep difficulties: Falling estrogen levels influence serotonin, a chemical important for stable mood. Low serotonin can contribute to anxiety, irritability or low mood. These disruptions often spill into sleep. Some women also report night sweats or trouble staying asleep.

7. Digestive issues: Estrogen and progesterone affect digestion. When these hormones shift, the gut may respond with bloating, constipation or diarrhoea. Some research has linked hormonal changes in people AFAB to irritable bowel syndrome. Many notice digestive changes around their menstrual cycle.

What To Do If You Suspect A Hormonal Imbalance

There is no single test that measures every hormone, and at-home kits only cover a few markers. The safest first step is to speak with your primary care doctor. They can look at your overall health and decide what evaluations are appropriate.

Diagnosis may include:

• A physical exam and review of your medical history
• Checking prescriptions or supplements that may influence hormones
• Blood, urine or saliva tests to measure specific hormone levels
• A pelvic exam to check for cysts or growths
• An ultrasound to look at the ovaries, uterus, thyroid or pituitary gland

As bird flu continues to trouble several countries, health officials in the United States have reported the first known human case of the H5N5 subtype of avian influenza. The Washington State Department of Health announced on November 14, 2025, that the virus was found in a resident of Grays Harbor County.

The patient, an older adult with existing medical issues, is currently in the hospital. Authorities noted that the individual kept poultry at home that had contact with wild birds, which is believed to be the likely source of the infection, though the investigation is still underway. Since H5N5 is newly identified in humans, many are asking whether it differs from the earlier H5N1 strain.

What Is the H5N1 Strain?

H5N1 is a highly pathogenic form of avian influenza that mainly affects birds but can also infect mammals, including humans. It can lead to severe illness in people and has a high fatality rate, though it rarely spreads from one person to another, as per the World Health Organization. The virus has moved across continents in wild and farmed birds and has recently been found in dairy cattle and several other mammals.

What Is The New H5N5 Strain?

The “new” H5N1 strain refers to the 2.3.4.4b clade of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which has caused a widespread animal outbreak since appearing in 2020. This version is a newer genetic branch of H5N1 and has swept through wild birds, poultry farms and an increasing range of mammals, including dairy herds in the United States. At present, the patient infected in the U.S. has been diagnosed with the newer H5N5 subtype.

How Is H5N5 Different From H5N1?

According to the CDC, both H5N5 and H5N1 fall under the avian influenza family, with the main distinction being the type of neuraminidase (N) protein on the virus surface. H5N5 contains the N5 protein, while H5N1 carries the N1 protein. Although this genetic change can influence viral features, their overall pattern of illness and symptoms is expected to be much the same, particularly in birds and livestock.

The genetic structure is the only difference, with H5N1 strain containing a subtype of influenza A with a segmented genome while the other has a new reassortant virus formed from several subtypes, possibly including H5N1, as per National Institute of Health.

Is A Vaccine Available For The H5N1 Bird Flu Strain?

Vaccines for bird flu do exist, but they are not intended for general public use and are not easily available for everyday protection. Some vaccines have been created and stored for possible deployment in people at higher risk, such as poultry workers and farm staff, and they are also used in animals like chickens to help manage outbreaks. The United States and several other countries have stockpiled H5N1-specific vaccines that could be rolled out if the threat to humans grows. A few nations, including Finland, are already offering them to certain high-risk groups. At the moment, there is no advice for the wider public to take a bird flu vaccine, as there is no sustained human-to-human spread and no mass-market human vaccine in use.