A wearable bioelectronic device increased REM sleep in real-world trials without invasive surgery or medication.
A restless night can leave more than fatigue behind. REM sleep plays a central role in emotional processing, stress adaptation and mental recovery, and persistent disruptions to this stage have been linked to conditions including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Now, a research team led by the University of Texas at Austin has developed a soft, wearable patch designed to influence REM sleep without medication or surgery. Called NEUSLeeP, the skin-mounted device combines gentle ultrasound with electrodes, allowing it to stimulate deep brain regions involved in REM sleep while monitoring brain activity in real time.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to noninvasively target deep brain regions involved in REM sleep, while simultaneously monitoring brain activity,” said Kai Wing “Kevin” Tang, a recent UT biomedical engineering Ph.D. graduate who led the research effort. “Our skin-attached NEUSLeeP patch opens up new possibilities for understanding sleep and treating sleep disorders in home settings,” added Huiliang “Evan” Wang, assistant professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, who supervised Tang’s work and served as the principal investigator (PI) directing the overall project.
Patch boosted REM sleep
The first test was whether a patch could do more than monitor sleep. In a study of 28 people published in Nature Communications, NEUSLeeP helped participants enter REM sleep 43 minutes sooner and remain in it about 16 minutes longer on average.
That effect appeared in both healthy sleepers and participants with some sleep difficulties. Comfort and safety also mattered because the device is intended for real-life use, not just controlled lab conditions. Participants reported that the patch was comfortable and safe, with few adverse effects.
The researchers then looked beyond sleep timing. In healthy participants, NEUSLeeP stimulation improved heart rate variability, a measure often used as a sign of how flexibly the body responds to stress. Brain scans also showed changes in circuits involved in emotion, raising the possibility that the device may one day be useful for mood and resilience.
“REM sleep is not just about dreaming — it’s about emotional reset and stress adaptation,” explained Gregory Fonzo, assistant professor in the Dell Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and one of the project’s co-PIs. “By enhancing REM, we may help people better cope with stress and improve their overall well-being.”
That matters because disrupted REM sleep has been linked to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Current sleep treatments, including medications and behavioral therapy, can help many people, but they may cause side effects or fail to address the specific brain systems that influence REM sleep.
Larger trials come next
The results are early, and the next step is confirmation in larger groups. The researchers plan to test whether NEUSLeeP can help people with conditions such as PTSD, depression, and chronic insomnia.
They also see broader uses for the technology. Because the device can both stimulate and monitor brain activity, it could become a tool for at-home sleep tracking, brain research, and personalized sleep therapies tailored to individual sleep patterns.
“Our vision is a future where patients with mental health disorders can optimize their sleep with a noninvasive and safe treatment,” said Vincent Mysliwiec, M.D., a professor at UT Health San Antonio, a leading expert in sleep disorders, and another co-PI on the project. “This technology could help millions of people get the restorative sleep they need.”
Reference: “Skin-attached bioadhesive patch enabling ultrasound deep brain stimulation and real-time electrophysiological monitoring for REM sleep enhancement” by Kai Wing Kevin Tang, Benjamin Baird, William D. Moscoso-Barrera, Mengxia Yu, Mengmeng Yao, Jinmo Jeong, Ilya Pyatnitskiy, Anakaren Romero Lozano, Jiachen Wang, Ju-Chun Hsieh, Tony Sungjin Chae, Daniel Song, Julieta Garcia, Rithvik Mittapalli, Adam Bush, Wynn Legon, Vincent Mysliwiec, Gregory A. Fonzo and Huiliang Wang, 4 June 2026, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-73787-6
The researchers are working with UT’s commercialization unit, Discovery to Impact, to bring the product to market. They’ve filed a patent application for the technology.
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