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Brigham mass researchers identified seven molecules in the blood linked to excessive diurnal sleepiness, including factors related to food and hormones.
About one in three Americans reports suffering from overwhelming drowsiness during the day – a condition known as excessive drowsiness (EDS). EDS is linked to an increased risk of serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes.
A new study led by Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center investigators identifies several molecules in the blood, called metabolites, which are linked to EDS.
The results suggest that the risk of the state can be influenced by the two processes of the internal body, such as hormone levels and external factors such as diet. The results are published in ebiomicine.
“Our study suggests that the diet and genetics can play an important role in EDs,” said the main author Tariq Faquih, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholarship holder in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, founding member of the general mass health care system Brigham.
“As we learn what is going on biologically, we start to understand how and why publishers occur, the first signs that someone could have it and what we can do to help patients.”
Researchers collected data on 877 metabolites, natural molecules in the body influenced by food and hormones. The team used blood samples of 6,000 participants in the study / study of health of the Latinos Hispanic community.
The team also used data from a questionnaire that assesses the frequency to which a sleeping person during the day in various scenarios. The team has reproduced the results of the multiethnic study of the study of atherosclerosis (MESA) and studies in the United Kingdom and Finland.
They identified seven metabolites associated with EDS. Three additional metabolites were identified which varied by sex. The team found that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are commonly found in foods that constitute Mediterranean regimes, were associated with a lower risk of EDS.
Other metabolites, such as Tyramine, which are found in fermented and too ripe foods, have been associated with increased diurnal drowsiness, especially in men. Metabolites of sex steroids, such as progesterone, were associated with sleep -related processes such as melatonin production.
Researchers note that the results suggest potential processing goals for EDs and that food changes or drugs can lead to better treatment. They also note certain limits to the study, including the difficulty of interpreting the exact values of metabolites and the use of a sleep questionnaire instead of bringing participants to a sleep laboratory for tests.
Future orientations could include driving a clinical trial to see if changes or food supplements can help reduce daytime sleepiness. In addition, the authors have identified unknown metabolites which they plan to explore more.
“Driving a clinical trial would be a large next step and could help us understand if omega-3 and omega-6s from the diet could help reduce EDS’s risk,” said Faquih.
More information:
Faquih, T. et al. Biosynthesis of steroid hormones and metabolites linked to the diet associated with excessive diurnal sleepiness, ebiomicine (2025). DOI: 10.1016 / J. Ebiom .2025.105881
Supplied by Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Quote: Blood molecules linked to daytime sleeping pointing diet and hormonal roles (2025, August 19) recovered on August 20, 2025
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