Sleep Research

Chapter Contents

This section covers the history of sleep research, an introduction on career preparation, and information about current and future research. Feel free to add your own ideas for future research. You can also look at project ideas for younger students. Find out what the U.S. government is doing about sleep research. We also have links to Universities active in sleep research and other sleep research organizations.

Getting Started: Career Preparation (1)

Students get interested in sleep research in different ways. Some have firsthand experience of sleep difficulties, either themselves or in their families, such as Peter , a postgraduate student at the University of Arizona (2). However, Peter first became interested in research when his professor at Carnegie Mellon recommended an internship possibility at a sleep research laboratory in 1992. Professor Richard Bootzin , currently a professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, was already teaching a course in abnormal psychology when one of his students asked him questions concerning her fiancé's insomnia . They didn't find too much help when they reviewed the research to date. Dr. Bootzin worked with the student and her fiancé to devise a non-pharmacological "behavioral treatment," which worked pretty well. The insomniac was willing to keep good records, and Dr. Bootzin presented his case study at an American Psychological Association meeting. He's been working in sleep research ever since. Anam , a graduate student from Germany, comes from a family of "good sleepers," but has always been interested in the topic of sleep (3).

Many of Dr. Bootzin's students do take his sleep disorders course (4) out of personal interest, some to improve their own sleep . Many of the students are taking the course as part of a program in psychology , or as graduate students in clinical psychology. Although there are about 60 students enrolled in his Sleep and Sleep disorders class in spring 1999, only about 8-10 students work in the lab any given semester. Many in the class are psychology majors; those who work with Dr. Bootzin in sleep research concentrate on psychophysiological research, or in topics that cross the boundary of biology and psychology. Only a small number will actually be interested in sleep careers. For those who are interested in pursuing a career in sleep research, Dr. Bootzin suggests either psychology, interdisciplinary neuroscience , or psychobiology are useful and common undergraduate preparations.

Dr. Bootzin sees the occupational outlook for sleep lab technicians as very good, but warns that shift work can be demanding. Opportunities in the fields of both sleep research and sleep medicine are good now and growing. He sees an increased effort to include sleep information in medical school curriculum, judging that it is not adequately covered in most medical schools now. He directs a weekly Insomnia Clinic at the U. of Arizona's medical center in which clinical psychology interns, graduate students, and medical residents receive training.

There are a number of universities active in sleep research.[make link to list] Among those accredited by the [assn. name] these are a few which one might want to be sure to consider: Brown University (5) (particularly at the undergraduate level for summer programs run by Mary Carskadon ), Stanford University, the University of Arizona, and U.C.L.A. (for neurosciences and animal research, especially). At many schools, an assertive undergraduate can still find opportunities to prepare for sleep research, although they might need to coordinate with an affiliated medical school. The University of Arizona's program is unique in its advantage of having access to the hospital center sleep disorders clinic as well as the school's research lab right in the Psychology building.

Dr. Bootzin explained that undergraduates, like Michelle (6) , are eligible to sign up for an independent study class to do work in the sleep lab under the supervision of a graduate student or post-doc fellow. They start by learning how to use the equipment, to accurately collect patient data, and to begin to analyze the data in the campus lab. Additional semesters are necessary to participate in designing or analyzing research projects. An honors student might be able to actually do a sleep study.

Graduate students are more able to follow their own interests and to oversee or to initiate research, yet all sleep lab research is done collaboratively and responsibilities for research projects are shared. There are two bedrooms in the sleep lab (which means only two sleeping subjects per night) at the University, and so they all work together so that everyone can keep their project progressing. Effort is made to have students work no more than one night per week in the lab, and occasionally they hire people from outside the university to work in the lab for more nights.

(1) Bootzin, Richard. Interview by Emilie Sutterlin. Tucson, AZ, Psychology Dept., University of Arizona, Mar. 30, 1999.

(2) Franzen, Peter. Interview of graduate student at sleep research lab by Emilie Sutterlin. Tucson, AZ, U. of Arizona, Mar. 30, 1999.

(3) Al-Shajlawi, Anam. Interview of graduate student from Germany at sleep research lab by Emilie Sutterlin. Tucson, AZ, University of Arizona, Mar. 30, 1999.

(4) Bootzin, Richard. Sleep disorders class, U. of Arizona, Psychology 478, Insomnia lecture, notes by Emilie Sutterlin, Tucson, AZ, Mar. 30, 1999. Emilie attended this lecture after completing two of the three recommended readings.

(5) The Bradley Sleep Research Laboratory's apprenticeship program for college students (including biology majors) interested particularly in adolescent biological rhythms.

(6) Brosemer, Michelle. Interview of undergraduate student at sleep research lab by Emilie Sutterlin. Tucson, AZ, U. of Arizona, Mar. 30, 1999.