Fox News Digital publishes a range of health pieces every day of the week to keep you up-to-date on the most important wellness news.

Cutting-edge medical research, breakthrough medications, mental health challenges, personal medical dramas and more are all covered.

In case you missed them, here are a few of the biggest health stories from this week.

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As always, you can see a full list of recent health pieces at http://www.foxnews/health. 

Check out these eight key stories. 

1. Certain supplements could increase heart attack, stroke risk

A new study suggests that taking a popular form of supplements could make a certain group of people more susceptible to experiencing heart disease and strokes. 

A cardiologist and nutritionist weighed in. Click here to get the story.

2. Half of Americans are ill-equipped to help in a crisis

Only 51% of polled Americans know how to perform hands-only CPR, and only 49% could assist with serious bleeding. 

ER doctors shared tips on how people can be better prepared. Click here to get the story.

“When you’re trained in these lifesaving skills, you’ll know how to recognize the signs that someone needs help and buy time until the [first] responders can get there,” a doctor said. (iStock)

3. Many patients taken off life support may have survived, study suggests

Families may want to wait before making the “irreversible decision” to take loved ones off life support after a traumatic brain injury, some doctors and researchers say. Click here to get the story.

Many patients who died after traumatic brain injuries may have survived and recovered if their families had waited to take them off life support, a new study has found. (iStock)

4. Three women share their best longevity tips

For Women’s Health Month, three mothers and grandmothers — ages 41, 55 and 64 — revealed how they’re defying their chronological ages. Click here to get the story.

Left to right, Julie Gibson Clark, Amy Hardison and Lil Eskey all shared the lifestyle habits that are helping them slow down biological aging. (James Lee, Amy Hardison, Lil Eskey)

5. Lupus expert debunks 7 common myths

Dr. Brooke Goldner of Cornell University, who lives with lupus, has dedicated her life to raising awareness of the disease. She shared the truths behind some of the biggest misconceptions. Click here to get the story.

Dr. Brooke Goldner, a board-certified medical doctor and an autoimmune professor at Cornell University, pictured at right, is committed to debunking lupus myths and misconceptions. (iStock/Dr. Brooke Goldner)

6. Heart attack risk could spike during election season

Research from Massachusetts General Hospital found that people who have specific genetic traits, paired with anxiety or depression, are at a “significantly higher heart attack risk” during periods of social or political stress. Click here to get the story.

“The mind-heart connection is strong, and this study highlights that not only our bodies, but also our minds, need rest and care,” a doctor said. (Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC via Getty Images; iStock)

7. Disrupted sleep, plus nightmares, could be linked to autoimmune diseases

Those who experience vivid nightmares and odd hallucinations might be at a higher risk of lupus, a new study suggests. Researchers and doctors revealed the link. Click here to get the story.

The study looked at not only the issues surrounding sleep, but also when the issues for participants began. (iStock)

8. Paralyzed patients could find new hope in spinal cord stimulation

Ninety percent of paralyzed patients regained strength or function in their upper limbs after receiving an experimental therapy, a new study found. Experts weighed in on why this could be a “game-changer” for some patients. Click here to get the story.

Some of this week’s top health stories include supplement risks, emergency skills, sleep disorder ramifications and more. (iStock)

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.

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Those who experience vivid nightmares and odd hallucinations might have an underlying autoimmune disease, a new study suggests.

An international research team led by scientists at the University of Cambridge and King’s College London explored the potential link between nightmares and hallucinations and systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases. 

The study, published in March in the journal eClinicalMedicine, included 676 people with lupus and 400 people from the medical field, as well as interviews with 69 people living with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, SWNS reported. 

STRUGGLING TO FALL ASLEEP? TRY THIS SIMPLE TRICK TO DRIFT OFF QUICKLY

Those with autoimmune diseases were asked about the timing of their neurological and mental health symptoms, such as disrupted sleep, hallucinations, depression and loss of balance. 

Of the 29 symptoms listed, the participants were asked to rank such symptoms in the order in which they occurred relative to their disease flare-ups.

The study found that three in five people experienced “vivid” and “distressing” nightmares that involved being trapped, attacked or falling — resulting in disrupted sleep.

One-third of those immune-compromised participants said they noticed the trend over a year before their lupus onset. 

LUPUS EXPERT DEBUNKS 7 COMMON MYTHS ABOUT THE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE: ‘NOT A DEATH SENTENCE’

Lupus is defined as “a disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs,” according to the Mayo Clinic. 

One in four participants stated that they noticed hallucinations — although 85% said they didn’t experience the symptoms until the disease onset or later. 

The study linked patients with an autoimmune disease, such as lupus, to disrupted sleep — including nightmares.  (iStock)

Three in five people with lupus and one in three with other rheumatology-related conditions said they noticed an uptick in sleep disruptions just before their hallucinations would begin, according to SWNS. 

The lead author of the study, Dr. Melanie Sloan of the University of Cambridge, noted in the study that in many cases, patients and doctors will not discuss mental health or neurological symptoms in relation to these diseases.

Three in five people with lupus noticed an uptick in sleep disruptions just before their hallucinations began.

“It’s important that clinicians talk to their patients about these types of symptoms and spend time writing down each patient’s individual progression of symptoms,” she said. 

‘SLEEP DISORDER DROVE MY SON TO SUICIDE,’ NEW YORK MOTHER SAYS: ‘BROKE MY HEART’

Misdiagnosis was also mentioned in the study, as some participants said lupus and other autoimmune diseases were overlooked at first, SWNS reported. 

For example, a participant from Scotland was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder at age 18 before being diagnosed with lupus at 19.

The study found that three in five people experienced disrupted sleep with “vivid” and “distressing” nightmares that involved being trapped, attacked or falling.  (iStock)

“It was all very close together,” the participant said — noting that it was just a six-month period between “when my borderline personality disorder got under control and my lupus got under control,” SWNS said. 

HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING? IT COULD BE FOR THIS SURPRISING REASON, EXPERTS SAY

Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a California-based chief medical adviser for Sleepopolis, was not involved in the study but shared reaction to the findings with Fox News Digital. 

Dasgupta, who is quadruple-board certified in pulmonary, sleep, internal and critical care medicine, said the study supports the perspective that a “high prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as headaches, mood and fatigue” are commonly linked to patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). 

Dr. Raj Dasgupta said that sleep issues among patients with SLE need to be discussed in order for people to achieve a better quality of life.  (Sleepoplis)

SLE is a “chronic disease that can affect any organ, including the nervous system,” Dasgupta noted.

“This study also supports the fact that patients with SLE are subject to complications of its treatment, including steroid-related psychosis,” he added.

Misdiagnosis was also mentioned in the study. 

Sleep issues are common in people with SLE, said Dasgupta, with over half of patients experiencing restlessness, poor sleep quality and difficulty falling asleep. 

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“These issues can be caused by pain, medication effects and the disease’s impact on the brain,” he said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the eClinicalMedicine journal for further information. 

Sleepoplis consists of a team of writers, product reviewers and sleep experts who provide reviews and sleep health content, per the company’s website. 

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