Neurobiology and biomarkers

Insufficient sleep has a significant negative impact on human physical and mental health and ability to function. However, people respond in vastly different ways to sleep loss or sleep disorders—with some showing excessive sleepiness and functional performance impairment and others going about their lives as normal. We want to learn why.

Our research aims to discover and validate new neural, behavioural and biological biomarkers so that we can better predict how an individual will respond to sleep loss or sleep disorders. We can then use these biomarkers to develop clinically deployable tools to identify people at high risk of alertness failure and sleep-related performance impairment on the road and at work. This tool could prevent potentially fatal work or motor vehicle accidents caused by sleep loss or disorder.

Sleep health services and primary care

We have $2.5 million of NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence funding to establish the National Centre for Sleep Health Services Research, which will place primary care at the centre of sleep disorder service delivery. We are focused on the deployment of new simplified, cost-effective technologies, guidelines and systems for diagnosing and managing sleep problems, and better connection and support for primary care practitioners by specialist sleep services in a “hub and spoke” model of health service.

Some of our key research will aim to improve:

1. the diagnosis and management (including self-management) of obstructive sleep apnoea patients who have a high risk of adverse health outcomes.
2. the identification and management (including self-management) of insomnia with a specific focus on reducing sedative/ hypnotic medication use and increasing insomnia-specific behavioural interventions.

Respiratory physiology

Our sleep and respiratory physiology research aims to better understand obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) mechanisms and pathophysiology, identify novel therapeutic targets, and develop new therapies better targeted to underlying mechanisms.

We use a variety of experimental approaches to measure upper airway neuromuscular control and respiratory mechanics in humans and test new approaches in small-scale proof-of-concept trials. We also undertake multicentre clinical trials to rigorously test new therapies. Our respiratory phenotyping work has already led to a novel precision medicine therapeutic framework to better understand and treat OSA, as well as discoveries around waking mechanisms supporting the targeted use of hypnotics to treat some forms of OSA.

This work has made a significant contribution to advancing the understanding of OSA pathophysiology and helped to refocus the therapeutic agenda for this common chronic health condition.

eHealth and technology

eHealth technology, wearable sensors and data analytics are redefining the way we manage our health and practice medicine. Our researchers are working together with industry partners to develop new, evidence-based technologies to better measure sleep, screen for and treat sleep disorders, and manage sleep health in the community and in health clinics.

Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the study of how often health issues, such as diseases or conditions, occur in different groups of people and why. Knowing how a person is likely to be afflicted with a sleep disorder and how to prevent or manage these conditions is an essential part of sleep health research.

Our researchers are conducting innovative longitudinal population research studies and clinical trials to learn how initiatives to promote prevention work best, lead to early detection and better management of sleep disorders, and improve quality of life, wellbeing, and physical and mental health in our communities. We study the relationship between sleep and diet, nutrition and food timing. We are also investigating how people interact with health services and identifying opportunities for more effective health care and management that will maximise health outcomes.

Environmental noise

Rapid expansion of wind farms in Australia and internationally has led to widespread community complaints from previously quiet rural environments about sleep disturbance. Low frequency components of wind farm noise can travel long distances and pass through building structures more readily than higher frequency noise. Time-varying components from blade movements may also make wind farm noise more noticeable than other noise types. Consequently, wind farm noise exposure has the potential to adversely affect sleep, health and wellbeing.

We're looking into two aspects:

1. chronic sleep fragmentation from frequent physiological activation responses to sensory disturbances in sleep, and
2. chronic insomnia that could potentially develop more gradually over time in sensitised individuals. 

Good data is much needed to definitively establish the sleep disruption characteristics of wind farm noise as compared to other noise disturbances in sleep. Our research will use, for the first time, direct electroencephalographic (EEG) and cardiovascular measurements to systematically evaluate the sleep disruption and physiological activation response characteristics of wind farm noise during sleep.