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Do you struggle to fall asleep, wake regularly during the night, or open your eyes in the morning feeling as though you have barely rested? Perhaps your body feels tired, but your mind remains busy : a particularly unhelpful arrangement when all you want is a quiet night.
Sleep is closely connected to your energy, mood, concentration and ability to recover. So when poor sleep becomes a pattern, it can leave you wondering whether there is a gentler way to support your body’s natural rhythm.
A 2026 study published in Frontiers in Neurology has now added fresh evidence to the conversation. It investigated whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy was associated with improved sleep quality across three different participant groups.
The results are encouraging, but they need to be understood carefully.
What did the 2026 HBOT sleep study investigate?
The retrospective longitudinal study looked at sleep-quality changes in 395 adults who completed a standard course of 60 HBOT sessions.
The participants were divided into three groups:
- 180 people undergoing healthy-ageing support
- 92 people with long COVID
- 123 people with PTSD
The researchers used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, commonly known as the PSQI, to assess sleep before and after the HBOT course. This questionnaire looks at several areas, including how well someone feels they sleep, how long it takes them to fall asleep, night-time disturbances and daytime functioning.
The study protocol involved 60 sessions at 2.0 ATA, using 100% oxygen for 90 minutes, five days per week.
That detail matters. HBOT studies can use different pressures, oxygen concentrations, session lengths and total treatment courses. Comparing results is only useful when those differences are made clear.
What did the researchers find?
Overall sleep-quality scores improved significantly in all three participant groups after the 60-session course.
The study reported:
- Significant improvements in total PSQI scores
- Better subjective sleep quality
- Shorter sleep latency, meaning less time spent trying to fall asleep
- Fewer reported sleep disturbances
- Improved daytime dysfunction in the healthy-ageing and long COVID groups
- No significant improvement in daytime dysfunction for the PTSD group
- No meaningful change in sleep medication use
The most noticeable improvements were seen among participants who had poorer sleep at the beginning of the study.
In other words, people who started with more disturbed sleep tended to have more room for improvement. Participants who already slept relatively well experienced much smaller changes : something researchers sometimes describe as a ceiling effect. It is rather difficult to improve a score that is already close to its best possible result.
Why might oxygen and pressure influence sleep?
HBOT involves breathing concentrated oxygen inside a pressurised chamber. The increased pressure allows more oxygen to dissolve into the plasma, the liquid part of your blood. This may support oxygen delivery to areas of the body that need additional resources for normal function and recovery.
The relationship between oxygen and sleep is not as simple as “more oxygen equals better sleep”. Your sleep is influenced by the brain, nervous system, circadian rhythm, stress levels, inflammation, activity, light exposure and many other factors.
However, researchers have proposed several possible explanations for the findings:
- Improved oxygen availability may support normal brain function.
- Changes in circulation may encourage oxygen delivery to tissues.
- Effects on inflammation may influence systems involved in rest and recovery.
- Mitochondrial function may be supported, helping cells manage energy.
- The calm, structured routine of repeated sessions may encourage regular recovery habits.
These are possible mechanisms, not proven explanations for the results. The 2026 study measured changes in sleep quality; it did not establish exactly why those changes occurred.
How strong is the evidence?
This is where a little healthy caution is useful.
The study included a relatively large group of participants and found consistent improvements across three populations. The effect was also strongest among those who reported poorer sleep at baseline, which gives the findings an additional layer of interest.
But the research was retrospective and did not include a control group. The researchers looked back at outcomes before and after HBOT rather than randomly assigning participants to HBOT or a comparison treatment.
That means the study shows an association, not proof that HBOT caused the sleep improvements.
Other factors may have contributed. Participants may have changed their routines, adjusted their expectations, received other forms of support or simply benefited from the passage of time. Self-reported questionnaires are valuable, but they do not provide the same information as objective sleep measurements such as brain-wave monitoring or wearable data collected under controlled conditions.
The authors therefore call for prospective, controlled trials to clarify who is most likely to benefit and how HBOT may influence sleep.
You can read the research overview at Hyperbaric Experts’ latest research page or view the published research record through PubMed.
Does Flow Well use the same HBOT protocol?
No. Flow Well’s HBOT service uses a different, lower-pressure wellness protocol: 1.5 ATA at 93% oxygen.
The 2026 study used 2.0 ATA and 100% oxygen, alongside a much longer 60-session course. Its results should not be presented as though they directly demonstrate what every HBOT protocol will do.
Flow Well’s 1.5 ATA setup is chosen to provide a balance between increased oxygen delivery, comfort and accessibility for general wellness support. Sessions last up to 60 minutes, and many people find the experience calm and straightforward. You remain fully clothed and breathe concentrated oxygen while the chamber gradually pressurises.
You may notice mild pressure in your ears during pressurisation, similar to the sensation during take-off in an aeroplane. This usually settles as the pressure stabilises, and trained staff guide you through the process.
At Flow Well, HBOT sessions start from £60. The number and frequency of sessions are discussed according to your goals, comfort and suitability. A 60-session research protocol is not a recommendation for everyone.
Could HBOT help you boost energy levels naturally?
Better sleep and daytime energy are closely linked, but they are not interchangeable. A session that leaves you feeling refreshed does not necessarily mean your underlying sleep pattern has changed, just as one restless night does not define your overall health.
If your goal is to boost energy levels naturally, it is worth looking at the basics alongside any wellness therapy:
- Keep a consistent waking time, even at weekends where possible.
- Seek natural daylight early in the day.
- Give caffeine plenty of time to leave your system before bedtime.
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark and comfortable.
- Build gentle movement into your day.
- Drink enough water, but avoid large amounts immediately before bed.
- Create a wind-down routine that does not rely entirely on scrolling.
These habits may sound unglamorous, but the body is often rather fond of boring consistency.
If circulation and physical recovery are also part of your wider wellbeing goals, Flow Well can discuss how HBOT may sit alongside the mechanical movement and compression from Vasotherapy. This is a separate service and is not a finding from the 2026 sleep study.
Who might find the research interesting?
The findings may be especially relevant if you regularly experience difficulty falling asleep, broken sleep or a sense that your sleep is not restorative.
The study suggests that baseline sleep quality may be important. Participants with more disturbed sleep appeared to experience greater improvements than those who already slept well.
That does not mean HBOT is suitable for everyone, or that it will produce the same outcome for every person. Sleep problems can have many causes, including stress, shift work, pain, medication, hormonal changes, breathing difficulties and mental health challenges.
If you have ongoing insomnia, loud snoring, breathing pauses during sleep, severe daytime sleepiness or a sudden change in your sleep, speak with your GP or another qualified healthcare professional. Seek medical advice before booking any wellness therapy if you are pregnant, have a significant medical condition, take prescribed medication or have concerns about whether HBOT is appropriate for you.
Flow Well provides non-invasive therapies for general wellness, recovery and wellbeing support. HBOT should not be used as a replacement for medical assessment or prescribed care.
What can we take from the 2026 study?
The most balanced conclusion is this: the 2026 study found that a 60-session HBOT course was associated with significant improvements in sleep quality among participants from healthy-ageing, long COVID and PTSD groups.
The greatest changes were seen in people who started with poorer sleep. Improvements included subjective sleep quality, sleep latency and sleep disturbances, while sleep medication use did not change meaningfully.
That is promising, but it is not a guarantee and it does not prove that HBOT caused the improvements. More controlled research is needed, particularly using objective sleep measurements and different HBOT protocols.
If you would like to explore whether Flow Well’s 1.5 ATA, 93% oxygen HBOT protocol could fit your general wellness and recovery goals, you can book a consultation call. It is a low-pressure way to ask questions, understand the process and decide what feels right for you.