About
What is Sleep Psychology?
Sleep Psychology is a growing clinical specialty that integrates principles of health psychology and sleep medicine. It involves the assessment and treatment of sleep disorders through a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive, behavioral, and physiological factors that influence sleep.
Practitioners in this field include psychologists, physicians, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals who have received specialized training or certification in sleep psychology. These clinicians focus on identifying and addressing the behavioral and psychological contributors to both adult and pediatric sleep disturbances.
Sleep psychology emphasizes collaboration across disciplines and promotes a holistic, patient-centered approach to improving sleep health and overall well-being.
Core Elements of Sleep Psychology
Why study sleep?
What is Sleep Psychology?
What's the goal of Sleep Psychology?
"Sleep is so much more than behavior or physiological recordings. Sleep Psychology aims to understand the essence of the human experiences across sleep-wake states, sleep antecedents, and its consequences."
Our Mission Statement
The Consortium is dedicated to advancing sleep psychology through interdisciplinary faculty-student research focused on improving individual and public health. Our work emphasizes the scientific investigation of sleep processes, the antecedents and consequences of sleep disruption, and the development and dissemination of evidence-based interventions to promote healthy sleep.
A significant objective of the Consortium is to provide meaningful research opportunities and mentorship for students. By offering access to shared resources, data, and expert guidance, we aim to train the next generation of sleep psychologists, researchers, and clinicians—ensuring continued innovation and leadership in the field.
Core Questions of Sleep Psychology
- How can psychological principles/methods be used to better understand sleep and promote sleep health?
- What is the relationship between sleep and consciousness?
- How do values, beliefs, biases, and attitudes influence sleep, sleep perception, sleep disorders, self-reported sleep, and sleep health behaviors?
- What role does sleep play in psychological well-being, mental health, motivation, emotion, learning/memory, and cognition?
- What are the functions of dreams (including nightmares) and how can they be influenced to promote sleep health?
- How do psycho-social factors influence sleep, sleep disorders, and sleep health disparities?
- What is the role of sleep in psychological development?
- How do principles of behavioral economics relate to sleep health decisions, sleep-related treatment seeking/response, and sleep-related purchasing?
- How do psychological factors (e.g., personality, expectations, preferences) interact with biological determinants of circadian rhythms?
- What are the psychological components of rural versus urban sleep health disparities?
- How can behavioral interventions improve sleep without relying on medication?
- How does sleep disruption impact brain networks involved in attention, memory, and emotion regulation?
- What can sleep tell us about the nature of consciousness and human cognition? (Bit broad but fun to think about)
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