Department of Psychology
Scientific Sleep Laboratory University of Bielefeld
The sleep laboratory at the University of Bielefeld focuses on the scientific research of sleep in children, youth and adults. Therefor we have two rooms to lead. In both rooms are two beds each, so that also smaller children can be tested together with their parents.
Polysomnography
In the sleep laboratory, we do polysomnographic measurements. Polysomnographic measurements means, that different electrodes are fixed at the head and body to gather brain activities (EEG), muscle activities and respiration. The duration and the daytime of the measurement can differ, because different scientific issues can need data of the day or of the night. Qualified employee take care of the fixing of the different electrodes and are amenable for questions.
Pupillography
Additionally we can capture the tiredness by using a pupillographene. The noninvasively measurement of the pupil will be done (also independent of a stay in the sleep laboratory) in the morning hours.
Actigraphy
A so called actigraph can, comfortable as a watch, be worn at the wrist and measures then the movement during sleep, with help from acceleration sensor. By doing so you can draw the conclusion about someone being awake and how much he is moving during the night. Actigraphy can be done at home, by wearing the gadget 24 hour a day, for 8 days.
Research focus in our department are psychological, relevant themes. Insomnia and other sleeping disorders will be scientifically tested in children, youth and adults. Additionally different kinds of research experiments will be realized. To get more information about the respective project go to the tab ?research?. Our aim is to enlarge the knowledge about the different mental disorders and to distill implications for the treatment.
Cooperation
There are cooperation to the local epilepsy centrum in Bethel as well as to the sleep laboratory at the University of Freiburg and the local sleep research group.
http://www.die-ausgeschlafene-stadt.de
Latest Projects
- Sleep consolidation with hypnosis
The project ?suggestibility, day sleep and neuropsychological performance? deals with the effect of hypnosis on sleep. Other studies have shown, that the deep sleep is able to consolidate with the help of a specific audio data. The latest study deals with the effects of deepened sleep on attention and memory processes. We assume that by having more deep sleep there will be better performance in the neurocognitive area.
- Neurocognitive performance in sleeping disorders
Different studies have shown, that there are impairments in attention processes and in the long-term memory. To test this relation, we add clinical tests for the attention check to the interventions for sleeping disorders from the age of a child (KiSS, JuSt, Studieren wie im Schlaf, Traumhaft Schlafen). Studies with children have shown, that attention deficits are associated with sleeping disorders. The association to symptoms of AD(H)D shell be resolved.
- Emotion regulation and sleep
One important role in the development and maintenance mental disorders is the emotion regulation ability. In children and youth there is a relation between adverse sleep pattern and diminished emotion regulation. For example, sleep deprivation decreases the ability of emotion regulation in children and youth. We examine this relation in experimental studies.