Sleep and Development Lab, Montana State University

09/09/2020

What is this?!!
This is what we call actigraphy data!
This is what we see when you turn your fancy sleep watches (actigraphy watches) back into us.
The watch tracks what is called your 'micro-movements' so we can see when you are moving or when you are lying still and when you wake up in the night.
The blue areas are 'sleep' and the black squiggles are where you're moving throughout the day.
This data is from one of our grad students who is learning how to read and clean this data 🙏🏼🤓.

09/07/2020

We hope that whatever you're doing today that it's restorative 🙏🏼

09/04/2020

Roger Rosa, Michael Bonnet, and Milton Kramer set out to discover more about the relationship between sleep and anxiety, particularly in anxious subjects.
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What connection is there between anxiety and how it impacts sleep? •
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Are different aspects of sleep, such as REM (rapid eye movement) and night awakenings, impacted greatly by anxiety?
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Using a few different tests and previous research, they found that anxious individuals have significantly less total sleep time (Rosa et. al., 1982).
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They also discovered through tests that anxious individuals had lighter sleep, especially when anxiety levels were moderate to high (Rosa et. al., 1982).
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More awakenings at night occurred, and decreased latency to stage REM were found amongst anxious individuals (Rosa et. al., 1982).

09/04/2020

Roger Rosa, Michael Bonnet, and Milton Kramer set out to discover more about the relationship between sleep and anxiety, particularly in anxious subjects.
•
What connection is there between anxiety and how it impacts sleep?
•
Are different aspects of sleep, such as REM (rapid eye movement) and night awakenings, impacted greatly by anxiety?
•
Using a few different tests and previous research, they found that anxious individuals have significantly less total sleep time (Rosa et. al., 1982).
•
They also discovered through tests that anxious individuals had lighter sleep, especially when anxiety levels were moderate to high (Rosa et. al., 1982).
•
More awakenings at night occurred, and decreased latency to stage REM were found amongst anxious individuals (Rosa et. al., 1982).

09/02/2020

Repost from last year's EEG training 💪🏼👍🏼🤙🏼.
Once we do an overnight sleep test, sometimes we have participants come in the next day to do different tasks and we can see how the sleep from the night before affects how they complete different projects!
🧠🤓Science is neat.

08/20/2020

Getting our actigraphy watches (aka sleep watches) ready for upcoming data collection!
🤘😴

03/26/2020

https://psyarxiv.com/rpcy4/

Wondering how adolescents are reacting to this COVID-19 outbreak? The Sleep and Development Lab and Positive Youth Development Lab on the Montana State University campus quickly teamed up and asked over 700 adolescents to report their experience.

The paper is currently under review—but you can click the link to see what they found :)

Importance: As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, it is critical to understand the psychological factors that influence pandemic-related behaviors (i.e., news monitoring, social distancing, hygiene/disinfecting, hoarding). This may be especially important to study among youth, who are less likely to...

02/15/2020

Did you know that people who don't get enough sleep are likely to have bigger appetites? Sleep deprivation is associated with reduced leptin levels (leptin is an appetite-regulating hormone), leading to an increase in appetite. Keep your metabolism in check and make sure to get enough Zzz's this winter! Check out the National Sleep Foundation to learn more: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/

02/14/2020

Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at the Sleep and Development Lab!
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Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash
Sent via #406

02/13/2020

"Sleep is an investment in the energy you need to be effective tomorrow." - Tom Roth
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Photo by Tracey Hocking on Unsplash
Sent via
#406

02/08/2020

Looking for a better quality night's sleep? It has been shown that individuals that regularly get a good night's sleep often have a sleep ritual in place. A sleep ritual is a routine that allows your mind & body to wind down at the end of the day and prepare for sleep. Try implementing one of the following into your bedtime routine for a better night's sleep: avoid caffeine (soft drinks, tea, coffee, and chocolate) 3-4 hours before bedtime, maintain a regular bed & wake time schedule including weekends (sleeping more than 1-2 hours more on the weekend can disturb your circadian rhythms), and create a sleep-conducive environment (dark, quiet, comfortable, and cool.) Check out the University of Georgia's Health Center to learn more: https://www.uhs.uga.edu/sleep - - - Photo by Charles on Unsplash Sent via #406

02/07/2020

Students: Did you know that pulling an all-nighter & cramming can actually be counterproductive come exam-time? The very qualities we rely on to do well on tests, such as recall, concentration, and alertness are decreased when we are sleep-deprived. This semester, make sure to add a proper night's sleep to your to-do list! Want to learn more? Check out the University of Georgia's Health Center to learn about getting a good night's sleep: https://www.uhs.uga.edu/sleep - - - Photo by Tonny Tran on Unsplash Sent via #406