Sleeping and health improvements: following longitudinal trajectories (SHIFT)

Good sleep is important for both the body and mind. For instance, chronic short sleep is associated with high blood pressure, as well as poor regulation of glucose, hormones and brain functions. In the long run, better sleep may facilitate improvements in physical health, thinking skills and emotional well-being. This project aims to evaluate the link between sleep and the heart, brain and mind. We are recruiting healthy individuals, as well as people with mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychotic disorders or sleep disorders.

Participants will be lent a sleep watch and small portable heart rate monitor to measure their sleep and heart rate patterns at home. They will also undergo overnight sleep recordings (sleep electroencephalography, EEG) in one of the private rooms of our research laboratory, fill out some questionnaires, provide saliva samples for genotyping and hormones measurement (e.g. melatonin and cortisol), and complete a series of computer tasks. Participants who complete all components of the project, we will receive $40 in compensation for their time.

Age range    

Any age

Gender    

Any

Individuals are eligible if they

  • Have a current diagnosis of mood disorder (e.g. depression, bipolar disorder), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or psychotic disorders (e.g. schizophrenia)

OR

  • Have been referred to the Sleep Disorders Clinic of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre (newly referred patients are encouraged to start this project before their first visit at the Sleep Disorders Clinic)

OR

  • Have no previous history of a mental or sleep disorder


Location    

The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research, affiliated with the University of Ottawa
Sleep Research Unit
1145 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON

Recruitment Via

  • Self-Referral (by participant)
  • Internal Referral (by ROMHC staff)
  • External Referral (by doctors or other mental health specialists outside of ROMHC)

Principal Investigator    

Rébecca Robillard, PhD

Contact    

Laura Ray
+1 (613) 722-6521 ext. 6544
laura.ray@theroyal.ca

*This study is currently recruiting participants