Limerick's Mary Immaculate College seeks volunteers for sleep study

ONE hundred men and women are being sought by Mary Immaculate College to participate in a sleep, heart, and health study.

The project, under the School of Psychology, will examine how a person’s emotional regulation can be affected by their sleep duration, and in turn affect how their heart responds to everyday stress.

Researchers are currently inviting participants aged 60 and older to participate in the study. 

Recent research suggests that by having less than the recommended eight hours sleep, people may experience emotional and cardiovascular responses to stress which are comparable to those of people at greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. 

“People often neglect to get the recommended amount of sleep due to their busy schedules, and this can lead to people experiencing negative emotions and stress,” said project manager, Dr Alan McAuliffe.

Volunteers will be asked to complete questionnaires and engage in short psychological tasks, and their cardiovascular responses will be measured using state of the art monitoring equipment.

For details on how to participate in the study, contact 061-204390 / alan.mcauliffe@mic.ul.ie