Working together on scientific innovations towards universal access to adequate and healthy sleep

Despite the significant impact sleep has on almost every aspect of human health, well-being, and performance, sleep problems — including inadequate or inconsistent sleep, poor quality sleep, circadian misalignment and circadian rhythm disorders, sleep-related breathing disorders, and narcolepsy, among others — are common across the lifespan. And although these sleep problems occur in every demographic, from a public health perspective we can see disparities in who has access to adequate and healthy sleep due to causes ranging from stress and trauma, noise and light pollution, shift and gig work hours, caregiving and social demands, school start times and homework loads, pain and undertreated medical conditions, to poor access to sleep-related healthcare.

Michelle M. Garrison — Professor and Director, Purdue Sleep Equity Lab

How does our lab work towards achieving sleep equity?

The Purdue Sleep Equity Lab conducts mechanistic experimental trials, intervention trials, longitudinal cohort studies, and secondary data analyses. We use mixed methods research approaches — both quantitative and qualitative — and incorporate biomarker data (actigraphy, HRV, EMG, EDA, EEG, melatonin, cortisol) into much of our work, as well as utilizing time diaries, ecological momentary assessment, surveys, executive function testing, eye gaze tracking, behavioral coding, interviews and focus groups. Current studies include: