Actigraphs enable scientists to monitor and track human rest/activity
cycles in a noninvasive manner.
The importance of sleep has been increasingly recognized as critical
for good health, development, memory and everyday functioning.
Researchers at the University of Haifa are seeking to better
understand the toll lack of sleep takes on our health.
What happens to your body when your sleep/wake cycle – regulated by your circadian clock – gets thrown off its normal rhythm? “Getting a good night’s sleep is not always easy, yet we now know that consistent sleep patterns are key to wellbeing, health and productivity,” explains Prof. Tamar Shochat of the Cheryl Spencer Department of Nursing. Prof. Shochat and her team are dedicated to promoting good sleep hygiene and good health.
Her current research, being conducted in collaboration with Prof. Yona Nadir, Head of the Thrombosis and Hemostasis Unit at Rambam, points to a direct link between irregular sleep schedules of nurses working shifts and increased levels of some coagulation factors in blood vessels. A new study, tracking changes in vascular functions among nurses at the beginning and end of their night shifts, aims to shed light on the underlying biological processes. “We are exploring a range of topics that are associated with shift work, circadian misalignment, and disrupted sleep patterns,” notes Prof. Shochat, “including links between sleep, cardiovascular health, metabolism, and mobility performance in middle aged and older adults, as well as the effects of evening light exposure on sleep patterns in college students. We hope that our efforts will contribute to promoting sleep awareness in the general public and relevant populations, such as shift workers, young people with a delayed sleep phase, older adults with insomnia, and public health policymakers.”
Prof. Shochat plans to expand her research activities in the field of sleep at the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Sleep and Chronobiology, which is slated to be built in the new Helmsley Health Discovery Tower. Benefiting from its close proximity to research populations, including patients in the inpatient departments and medical and nursing teams, the Laboratory will serve as a hub for the advancement of sleep and circadian research in Israel, health promotion and patient care. “Being close to our research subjects is key to studying the flow of behavior in its natural setting,” explains Prof. Shochat.
Prof. Tamar Shochat
The Cheryl Spencer Department
of Nursing
Prof. Shochat has published extensively on sleep in aging populations, sleep, fatigue and cognitive functioning of shift workers, from nurses to airline crews, as well as sleep patterns in adolescents and their connections with electronicmedia exposure, depression, and lifestyle.
For more information about supporting new research facilities
at the Helmsley Health Discovery Tower, please contact the
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