Faculty Mentor: Kelly Baron (Psychology, University of Utah)

This research is a part of a larger research study titled the Sleep Technology Intervention to Target Cardiometabolic Health. Better known as STITCH, this study focused on the importance of sleep quality and discrepancies between both objective and subjective sleep measures. Sleep discrepancy is defined as the difference between objective measurements (watch measuring time slept) and subjective perceptions (self-reported sleep duration) has been linked to memory deficits, reduced attention, and slower reaction times. My research question for the study was “How common is sleep discrepancy and what are characteristics of individuals with large discrepancies?”.

I was interested in this research because my grandmother and best friend is suffering from dementia. Through my time in the study, there was a personal question that I needed to answer. Howcould such a compassionate and strong woman contract such a debilitating disease? Also, I wanted to know if her underlying factors aligned with those from the study. To my dismay, I found bad sleep quality, a stroke, and her age were all related factors in my research.

One-third of the population suffers from insufficient sleep. Sleeping 7-9 hours is important for cognitive functioning. Individuals need to be aware of how much sleep they get because they may not accurately perceive themselves as being at risk of poor quality sleep. This research is important because poor sleep quality is a factor of numerous cardiometabolic disorders such as diabetes, a heart attack, or a stroke.

The participants were within the age range of 18-65 and suffered from stages 1 or 2 hypertension. Participants reported their subjective sleep duration at the screening. Those who reported 7 hours or less wore an actiwatch for 7 days and completed self-report questionnaires. This allowed us to determine how big of a sleep discrepancy they have. Factors related to an individual’s perception of their sleep included age, insomnia symptoms, wake after sleep onset (WASO), and poor sleep quality.

The results demonstrated self-report and objective sleep duration are often very different, up to 2 hours. Only about half of individuals who said they slept 7 hours or less also demonstrated the same hours in objective sleep. Sleep discrepancy was higher in older patients and those who experienced more WASO. In conclusion, these results are crucial because as one’s quality of sleep worsens, so does the risk of suffering from cardiometabolic disorders.

Beyond my research, I have enjoyed networking with other HBCU groups such as 5 For The Fight and HBCU Impact. They decided to collaborate with our SPUR cohort and take a trip to Moab for a couple days. We went white water rafting in the Colorado river, Jeep mountain riding, and swimming. I am truly a fish when it comes to swimming so that was definitely a highlight of the trip for me. It was an eventful trip that I will never forget.

Beyond my research, I have enjoyed networking with other HBCU groups such as 5 For The Fight and HBCU Impact. They decided to collaborate with our SPUR cohort and take a trip to Moab for a couple days. We went white water rafting in the Colorado river, Jeep mountain riding, and swimming. I am truly a fish when it comes to swimming so that was definitely a highlight of the trip for me. It was an eventful trip that I will never forget.

I was granted further insight into my own future career path. It gave me a new sense of direction for my professional life. SPUR has made me realize that I have a connection to in-person experiences instead of the data behind the project. Shadowing my mentor, Dr. Baron, granted me a new perspective on my career path. I got the chance to see her helping patients overcome their tumultuous relationships with sleep. Moreover, I need to be on the frontlines in my professionaldevelopment. There needs to be a passion behind the work in order for me to truly be invested in a project’s success. In pursuing a career in psychology, I would like to look at a one-on-one approach. From helping patients better understand themselves and our vast social environment around them, I’ll find my key point as a therapist.

Overall, my favorite part of the experience was being a part of something new. This was my first time having a research-based internship. I received newfound knowledge on the field of psychology. I have learned that in this department you sometimes have to expect your outcomes to be completely different from your own hypothesis. The simple reassurance that being wrong is accepted and to not be judged for my previous findings allowed me to find joy in my research. I stopped worrying about what is temporary and focused on the bigger picture of this opportunity: to experience, learn, and grow into my own success.

Bibliography

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Baron, K. G., Duffecy, J., Simonsen, S., Bress, A., Conroy, M. B., Greene, T., Allen, C., & Vallejo, S. (2023). Sleep technology intervention to target cardiometabolic health (stitch): Arandomized controlled study of a behavioral sleep extension intervention compared to an education control to improve sleep duration, blood pressure, and cardiometabolic health among adults with elevated blood pressure/hypertension. Trials, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-023-07658-6

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